FIFTY  YEARS  IN  CHAINS; 


OB. 


THE    LIFE    OP    AN 


AMERICAN  SLAVE. 


-  My  God !  can  such  things  be  ? 
Hast  Thou  not  said  that  whatsoe'er  is  done 
Unto  thy  weakest  and  thy  humblest  one, 

Iu  even  done  to  Thee  ?"— WHITTIBB. 


H.    DAYTON,    PUBLISHED 

36    HOWARP  STREET. 

iKDIANAPOLia,   IND.  :—  ABHER  A  COMPAKY. 

1860. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1858,  by 

H,    DAYTON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  tho 
Southern  District  of  ]STew  York. 


J.     J.     S  F  K  D, 

PVUNTKK  &  STEHEOTYPEn, 

43  Centre-St.,  N.  Y. 


PREFACE. 


THE  story  which  follows  is  true  in  every  particular 
Responsible  citizens  of  a  neighboring  State  can  vouch 
for  the  reality  of  the  narrative.  The  language  of  the 
slave  has  not  at  all  times  been  strictly  adhered  to,  as 
a  half  century  of  bondage  unfitted  him  for  literary  work 
The  subject  of  the  story  is  still  a  slam  by  the  laws  of  this 
country,  and  it  would  net  be  wise  to  reveal  his  name. 


M9019QO 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  CHAINS 

OR, 

THE  LIFE   OF   AN   AMERICAN   SLAVE. 
CHAPTER    I. 

SEPARATED    FROM   MY   MOTHER. 

MY  story  is  a  true  one,  and  I  shall  tell  it  in  a  sim 
ple  style.  It  will  be  merely  a  recital  of  my  life  as  a 
slave  in  trie  Southern  States  of  the  Union — a  descrip 
tion  of  negro  slavery  in  the  "  model  Republic." 

My  grandfather  was  brought  from  Africa  and  sold 
as  a  slave  in  Calvert  county,  in  Maryland.  I  never 
understood  the  name  of  the  ship  in  which  he  was  im 
ported,  nor  the  name  of  the  planter  who  bought  him 
on  his  arrival,  but  at  the  time  I  knew  him  he  was  a 
slave  in  a  family  called  Maud,  who  resided  neai 
Leonardtown.  My  father  was  a  slave  in  a  family 
named  Hauty,  living  near  the  same  place.  My  mo 
ther  was  the  slave  of  a  tobacco  planter,  who  died  whec 


10  Fifty  Years  in  Chains;  or, 

I  was  about  four  years  old.  My  mother  had  several 
children,  and  they  were  sold  upon  master's  death  to 
separate  purchasers.  She  was  sold,  my  father  told 
me,  to  a  Georgia  trader.  I,  of  all  her  children,  was 
the  only  one  left  in  Maryland.  When  sold  I  was 
naked,  never  having  had  on  clothes  in  my  life,  but  my 
new  master  gave  me  a  child's  frock,  belonging  to  one 
of  his  own  children.  After  he  had  purchased  me,  he 
dressed  me  in  this  garment,  took  me  before  him  on 
his  horse,  and  started  home  ;  but  my  poor  mother, 
when  she  saw  me  leaving  her  for  the  last  time,  ran 
after  me,  took  me  down  from  the  horse,  clasped  me  in 
her  arms,  and  wept  loudly  and  bitterly  over  me.  My 
master  seemed  to  pity  her.  and  endeavored  to  soothe 
her  distress  by  telling  her  that  he  would  be  a  good 
master  to  me,  and  that  I  should  not  want  anything. 
She  then,  still  holding  me  in  her  arms,  walked  along 
the  road  beside  the  horse  as  he  moved  slowly,  and 
earnestly  and  imploringly  besought  my  master  to  buy 
her  and  the  rest  of  her  children,.- and  not  permit  them 
to  be  carried  away  by  the  negro  buyers  ;  but  whilst 
thus  entreating  him  to  save  her  and  her  family,  the 
slave-driver,  who  had  first  bought  her,  came  running 
in  pursuit  of  her  with  a  raw-hide  in  his  hand.  When 
he  overtook  us.  he  told  her  he  was  her  master  now, 
and  ordered  her  to  give  that  little  negro  to  its  owner, 
and  come  back  with  him. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  11 


My  mother  then  turned  to  him  and  cried,  "  Oh,  mas 
ter,  do  not  take  me  from  my  child  \"  Without  mak 
ing  any  reply,  he  gave  her  two  or  three  heavy  blows 
on  the  shoulders  with  his  raw-hide,  snatched  me  from 
her  arms,  handed  me  to  my  master,  and  seizing  her 
by  one  arm,  dragged  her  back  towards  the  place  of 
sale.  My  master  then  quickened  the  pace  of  his  horse  ; 
and  as  we  advanced,  the  cries  of  my  poor  parent  be 
came  more  and  more  indistinct — at  length  they  died 
away  in  the  distance,  and  I  never  again  heard  the 
voice  of  my  poor  mother.  Young  as  I  was,  the  hor 
rors  of  that  day  sank  deeply  into  my  heart,  and  even 
at  this  time,  though  half  a  century  has  elapsed,  the 
terrors  of  the  scene  return  with  painful  vividness  upon 
my  memory.  Frightened  at  the  sight  of  the  cruelties 
inflicted  upon  my  poor  mother,  I  forgot  my  own  sor 
rows  at  parting  from  her  and  clung  to  my  new  master, 
as  an  angel  and  a  saviour,  when  compared  with  the 
hardened  fiend  into  whose  power  she  had  fallen.  She 
had  been  a  kind  and  good  mother  to  me  ;  had  warm 
ed  me  in  her  bosom  in  the  cold  nights  of  winter  ;  and 
had  often  divided  the  scanty  pittance  of  food  allowed 
her  by  her  mistress,  between  my  brothers,  and  sisters, 
and  me,  and  gone  supperless  to  bed  herself.  What 
ever  victuals  she  could  obtain  beyond  the  coarse  food, 
salt  fish  and  corn  bread,  allowed  to  slaves  on  the  Pa- 
tuxent  and  Potomac  rivers,  she  carefully  distril  uted 


12  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

among  her  children,  and  treated  us  with  all  the  ten 
derness  which  her  own  miserable  condition  would  per 
mit.  I  have  no  doubt  that  she  was  chained  and 
driven  to  Carolina,  and  toiled  out  the  residue  of  a 
forlorn  and  famished  existence  in  the  rice  swamps, 
or  indigo  fields  of  the  South. 

My  father  never  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the 
shock,  which  this  sudden  and  overwhelming  ruin  of 
his  family  gave  him.  He  had  formerly  been  of  a  gay, 
social  temper,  and  when  he  came  to  see  us  on  a  Satur 
day  night,  he  always  brought  us  some  little  present, 
such  as  the  means  of  a  poor  slave  would  allow — 
apples,  melons,  sweet  potatoes,  or,  if  he  could  procure 
nothing  else,  a  little  parched  corn,  which  tasted  better 
in  our  cabin,  because  he  had  brought  it. 

He  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  which  his 
master  permitted  him  to  pass  with  us,  in  relating  such 
stories  as  he  had  learned  from  his  companions,  or  in 
singing  the  rude  songs  common  amongst  the  slaves  of 
Maryland  and  Yirginia.  After  this  time  I  never  heard 
him  laugh  heartily,  or  sing  a  song.  He  became  gloomy 
and  morose  in  his  temper,  to  all  but  me  ;  and  spent 
nearly  all  his  leisure  time  with  my  grandfather,  who 
claimed  kindred  with  some  royal  family  in  Africa,  and 
had  been  a  great  warrior  in  his  native  country.  The 
master  of  my  father  was  a  hard,  penurious  man,  and 
so  exceedingly  avarioi  nis,  that  he  scarcely  allowed 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  13 

himself  the  common  conveniences  of  life.  A  stranger 
to  sensibility,  he  was  incapable  of  tracing  the  change 
in  the  temper  and  deportment  of  my  father,  to  its 
true  cause  ;  but  attributed  it  to  a  sullen  discontent 
with  his  condition  as  a  slave,  and  a  desire  to  abandon 
his  service,  and  seek  his  liberty  by  escaping  to  some 
of  the  free  States.  To  prevent  the  perpetration  of 
this  suspected  crime  of  running  away  from  slavery, 
the  old  man  resolved  to  sell  my  father  to  a  southern 
slave-dealer,  and  accordingly  applied  to  one  of  those 
men,  who  was  at  that  time  in  Calvert,  to  become  the 
purchaser.  The  price  was  agreed  on,  but,  as  my  father 
was  a  very  strong,  active,  and  resolute  man,  it  was 
deemed  unsafe  for  the  Georgian  to  attempt  to  seize 
him,  even  with  the  aid  of  others,  in  the  day-time, 
when  he  was  at  work,  as  it  was  known  he  carried 
upon  his  person  a  large  knife.  It  was  therefore  deter 
mined  to  secure  him  by  stratagem,  and  for  this  pur 
pose,  a  farmer  in  the  neighborhood,  who  was  made 
privy  to  the  plan,  alleged  that  he  had  lost  a  pig, 
which  must  have  been  stolen  by  some  one,  and  that 
he  suspected  my  father  to  be  the  thief.  A  constable 
was  employed  to  arrest  him,  but  as  he  was  afraid  to 
undertake  the  business  alone,  he  called  on  his  way,  at 
the  house  of  the  master  of  my  grandfather,  to  procure 
assistance  from  the  overseer  of  the  plantation.  When 
he  arrh  ?d  at  the  house,  the  overseer  was  at  the  barn, 


14  Fifty  Tears  in  Cliains  ;  cr, 

and  thither  he  repaired  to  make  his  application.     At 
the  end  of  the  barn  was  the  coach-house,  arid  as  the 
day  was  cool,  to  avoid  the  wind  which  was  high,  the 
two  walked  to  the  side  of  the  coach-house  to  talk  over 
the  matter,  and  settle  their  plan  of  operations.     It  so 
happened  that  my  grandfather,  whose  business  it  was 
to  keep  the  coach  in  good  condition,  was  at  work  at 
this  time,  rubbing  the  plated  handles  of  the  doors,  and 
brightening  the  other  metallic  parts  of  the  vehicle. 
Hearing  the  voice  of  the  overseer  without,  he  suspend 
ed  his  work,  and  listening  attentively,  became  a  party 
to  their  councils.     They  agreed  that  they  would  delay 
the  execution  of  their  project  until  the  next  day,  as  it 
was  then  late.     They  supposed  they  would  have  no 
difficulty  in  apprehending  their  intended  victim,  as, 
knowing   himself  innocent  of  the  theft,   he  « would 
readily  consent  to  go  with  the  constable  to  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  to  have  the  charge  examined.     That 
night,    however,    about    midnight,    my    grandfather 
silently  repaired  to  the  cabin  of  my  father,  a  distance 
of  about  three  miles,  aroused  him  from  his  sleep, 
made  him  acquainted  with  the  extent  of  his  danger, 
gave  him  a  bottle  of  cider  and  a  small  bag  of  parched 
corn,  and  then  enjoined  him  to  fly  from  the  destina 
tion  which  awaited  him.     In  the  morning  the  Georgian 
could  not  find  his  newly  purchased  slave,  who  was 
never  seer  or  heard  of  in  Maryland  from  that  day. 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  15 

After  the  flight  of  my  father,  my  grandfather  was 
the  only  person  left  in  Maryland  with  whom  I  could 
claim  kindred.  He  was  an  old  man,  nearly  eighty 
years  old,  he  said,  and  he  manifested  all  the  fondness 
for  me  that  I  could  expect  from  one  so  old.  He  was 
feeble,  and  his  master  required  but  little  work  from 
him.  He  always  expressed  contempt  for  his  fellow- 
slaves,  for  when  young,  he  was  an  African  of  rank  in 
his  native  land.  He  had  a  small  cabin  of  his  own, 
with  half  an  acre  of  ground  attached  to  it,  which  he 
cultivated  on  his  own  account,  and  from  which  he 
drew  a  large  share  of  his  sustenance.  He  had  singular 
religious  notions — never  going  to  meeting  or  caring 
for  the  preachers  he  could,  if  he  would,  occasionally 
hear.  He  retained  his  native  traditions  respecting  the 
Deity  and  hereafter.  It  is  not  strange  that  he  believed 
the  religion  of  his  oppressors  to  be  the  invention  of 
designing  men,  for  the  text  oftenest  quoted  in  his 
hearing  was,  "  Servants,  be  obedient  to  your  masters/' 

The  name  of  the  man  who  purchased  me  at  the 
vendue,  and  became  my  master,  was  John  Cox  ;  but 
he  was  generally  called  Jack  Cox.  He  was  a  man  of 
kindly  feelings  towards  his  family,  and  treated  his 
slaves,  of  whom  he  had  several  besides  me,  with  hu 
manity.  He  permitted  my  grandfather  to  visit  me  as 
often  as  he  pleased,  and  allowed  him  sometimes  to 
carry  me  to  his  own  cabin,  which  stood  in  a  lonely 


16  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

place,  at  the  head  of  a  deep  hollow,  almost  surround 
ed  by  a  thicket  of  cedar  trees,  which  had  grown  up  in 
a  worn  out  and  abandoned  tobacco  field.  My  master 
gave  me  better  clothes  than  the  little  slaves  of  my 
age  generally  received  in  Calvert,  and  often  told  me 
that  he  intended  to  make  me  his  waiter,  and  that  if  I 
behaved  well  I  should  become  his  overseer  in  time. 
These  stations  of  waiter  and  overseer  appeared  to  me 
to  be  the  highest  points  of  honor  and  greatness  in  the 
whole  world,  and  had  not  circumstances  frustrated  my 
master's  plans,  as  well  as  my  own  views,  I  should 
probably  have  been  living  at  this  time  in  a  cabin  on 
che  corner  of  s^pme  tobacco  plantation. 

Fortune  had  decreed  otherwise.  When  I  was  about 
twelve  years  old,  my  master,  Jack  Cox,  died  of  a  dis 
ease  which  had  long  confined  him  to  the  house.  I 
was  sorry  for  the  death  of  my  master,  who  had  always 
been  kind  to  me  ;  and  I  soon  discovered  that  I  had 
good  cause  to  regret  his  departure  from  this  world. 
He  had  several  children  at  the  time  of  his  death,  who 
were  all  young  ;  the  oldest  being  about  my  own  age. 
The  father  of  my  late  master,  who  was  still  living, 
became  administrator  of  his  estate,  and  took  posses 
sion  of  his  property,  and  amongst  the  rest,  of  myself. 
This  old  gentleman  treated  me  with  the  greatest 
severity,  and  compelled  me  to  work  very  hard  on  his 
plantation  for  several  years,  until  I  suppose  I  must 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  17 

have  been  near  or  quite  twenty  years  of  age.  /As  I 
was  always  very  obedient,  and  ready  to  execute  all 
his  orders,  I  did  not  receive  much  whipping,  but  suf 
fered  greatly  for  want  of  sufficient  and  proper  food. 
My  master  allowed  his  slaves  a  peck  of  corn,  each,  per 
week,  throughout  the  year  ;  and  this  we  had  to  grind 
into  meal  in  a  hand-mill  for  ourselves.  We  had  a 
tolerable  supply  of  meat  for  a  short  time,  about  the 
month  of  December,  when  he  killed  his  hogs.  After 
that  season  we  had  meat  once  a  week,  unless  bacon 
became  scarce,  which  very  often  happened,  in  which 
case  we  had  no  meat  at  all.  However,  as  we  fortu 
nately  lived  near  both  the  Patuxent  river  and  the 
Chesapeake  Bay,  we  had  abundance  of  fish  in  tho 
spring,  and  as  long  as  the  fishing  season  continued. 
After  that  period,  each  slave  received,  in  addition  to 
his  allowance  of  corn,  one  salt  herring  every  day. 

My  master  gave  me  one  pair  of  shoes,  one  pair  of 
stockings,  one  hat,  one  jacket  of  coarse  cloth,  two 
coarse  shirts,  and  two  pair  of  trowsers,  yearly.  He 
allowed  me  no  other  clothes.  In  the  winter  time  I 
often  suffered  very  much  from  the  cold  ;  as  I  had  to 
drive  the  team  of  oxen  which  hauled  the  tobacco  to 
market,  and  frequently  did  not  get  home  until  late  at 
night,  the  distance  being  considerable,  and  my  cattle 
traveled  very  slow. 

One  Saturday  evening^  when  I  came  home  from  the 


18  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

corn  field,  my  master  told  me  that  he  had  hired  me 
out  for  a  year  at  the  city  of  Washington,  and  that  J 
would  have  to  live  at  the  Navy  Yard. 

On  the  New  Year's  day  following,  which  happened 
about  two  weeks  afterwards,  my  master  set  forward 
for  Washington,  on  horseback,  and  ordered  me  to  ac 
company  him  on  foot.  It  was  night  when  we  arrived 
at  the  Navy  Yard,  and  everything  appeared  very 
strange  to  me. 

I  was  told  by  a  gentleman  who  had  epaulets  on  his 
shoulders,  that  I  must  go  on  board  a  large  ship,  which 
lay  in  the  river.  He  at  the  same  time  told  a  boy  to 
show  me  the  way.  This  ship  proved  to  be  a  frigate, 
and  I  was  told  that  I  had  been  brought  there  to  cook 
for  the  people  belonging  to  her.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  days  the  duties  of  my  station  became  quite  fa 
miliar  to  me  ;  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  profusion  of 
excellent  provisions,  I  felt  very  happy.  I  strove  by 
all  means  to  please  the  officers  and  gentlemen  whc 
came  on  board,  and  in  this  I  soon  found  my  account, 
One  gave  me  a  half-worn  coat,  another  an  old  shirt, 
and  a  third,  a  cast  off  waistcoat  and  pantaloons. 
Some  presented  me  with  small  sums  of  money,  and 
in  this  way  I  soon  found  myself  well  clothed,  and  will* 
more  than  a  dollar  in  my  pocket.  My  duties,  though 
constant,  were  not  burthen  some,  and  I  was  permitted 
to  spend  Sunday  afternoon  in  my  own  way.  I  gener- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  IS 

ally  went  up  into  the  city  to  see  the  new  and  splendid 
buildings  ;  often  walked  as  far  as  Georgetown,  and 
made  many  new  acquaintances  among  the  slaves,  and 
frequently  saw  large  numbers  of  people  of  my  color 
chained  together  in  long  trains,  and  driven  off  towards 
the  South.  At  that  time  the  slave-trade  was  not  re 
garded  with  so  much  indignation  and  disgust,  as  it  is 
now.  ^It  was  a  rare  thing  to  hear  of  a  person  of  color 
running  away,  and  escaping  altogether  from  his  mas 
ter  :  my  father  being  the  only  one  within  my  know 
ledge,  who  had,  before  this  time,  obtained  his  liberty 
in  this  manner,  in  Calvert  county  ;  and,  as  before 
stated,  I  never  heard  what  became  of  him  after  his 
flight.) 

I  remained  on  board  the  frigate,  and  about  the  Navy 
Yard,  two  years,  and  was  quite  satisfied  with  my  lot, 
until  about  three  months  before  the  expiration  of  this 
period,  when  it  so  happened  that  a  schooner,  loaded 
with  iron  and  other  materials  for  the  use  of  the  yard, 
arrived  from  Philadelphia.  She  came  and  lay  close 
by  the  frigate,  to  discharge  her  cargo,  and  amongst 
her  crew  I  observed  a  black  man,  with  whom,  in  the 
course  of  a  day  or  two,  I  became  acquainted.  He 
told  me  he  was  free,  and  lived  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  kept  a  house  of  entertainment  for  sailors,  which,  he 
said,  was  attended  to  in  his  absence  by  his  wife. 

His  description  of  Philadelphia,  and  of  the  liberty 


20  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

enjoyed  there  by  the  black  people,  so  charmed  my 
imagination  that  I  determined  to  devise  some  plan  of 
escaping  from  the  frigate,  and  making  my  way  to  the 
North.  I  communicated  my  designs  to  my  new  friend, 
who  promised  to  give  me  his  aid.  We  agreed  that 
the  night  before  the  schooner  should  sail,  I  was  to  be 
concealed  in  the  hold,  amongst  a  parcel  of  loose 
tobacco,  which,  he  said,  the  captain  had  undertaken 
to  carry  to  Philadelphia.  The  sailing  of  the  schooner 
was  delayed  longer  than  we  expected  ;  and,  finally, 
her  captain  purchased  a  cargo  of  flour  in  Georgetown, 
and  sailed  for  the  West  Indies.  Whilst  I  was  anx 
iously  awaiting  some  other  opportunity  of  making  my 
way  to  Philadelphia,  (the  idea  of  crossing  the  country 
to  the  western  part  of  Pennsylvania,  never  entered  my 
mind,)  New  Year's  day  came,  and  with  it  came  my 
old  master  from  Calvert,  accompanied  by  a  gentleman 
named  Gibson,  to  whom,  he  said,  he  had  sold  me,  and 
to  whom  he  delivered  me  over  in  the  Navy  Yard. 
We  all  three  set  out  that  same  evening  for  Calvert, 
and  reached  the  residence  of  my  new  master  the  next 
day.  Here,  I  was  informed,  that  I  had  become  the 
subject  of  a  law-suit.  My  new  master  claimed  mo 
under  his  purchase  from  old  Mr.  Cox  ;  and  another 
gentleman  of  the  neighborhood,  named  Levin  Ballard, 
had  bought  me  of  the  children  of  my  former  master, 
Jack  Cox  This  suit  continued  in  the  courts  of  Cal 


The  Life  of  an,  American  Slave.  21 

vert  county  more  than  two  years  ;  but  was  finally  de 
cided  in  favor  of  him  who  had  bought  me  of  the 
children. 

I  went  home  with  my  master,  Mr.  Gibson,  who  was 
a  farmer,  and  with  whom  I  lived  three  years.  Soon 
after  I  came  to  live  with  Mr.  Gibson,  I  married  a  girl 
of  color  named  Judah,  the  slave  of  a  gentleman  by 
the  name  of  Symmes,  who- resided  in  the  same  neigh 
borhood.  I  was  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Symmes  every 
week  ;  and  became  as  well  acquainted  with  him  and 
his  family,  as  I  was  with  my  master. 

Mr.  Symmes  also  married  a  wife  about  the  time  I 
did.  The  lady  whom  he  married  lived  near  Philadel 
phia,  and  when  she  first  came  to  Maryland,  she  re 
fused  to  be  served  by  a  black  chambermaid,  but  em 
ployed  a  wjiile  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  poor  man,  who 
lived  near.  The  lady  was  reported  to  be  very  wealthy, 
and  brought  a  large  trunk  full  of  plate  and  other 
valuable  articles.  This  trunk  was  so  heavy  that  I 
could  scarcely  carry  it,  and  it  impressed  my  mind 
with  the  idea  of  great  riches  in  the  owner,  at  that 
time.  After  some  time  Mrs.  Symmes  dismissed  her 
white  chambermaid  and  placed  my  wife  in  that  situa 
tion,  which  I  regarded  as  a  fortunate  circumstance,  as 
it  insured  her  good  food,  and  at  least  one  good  suit 
of  clothes. 

The  Symmes'  family  was  one  of  the  most  ancient 


22  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

in  Maryland,  and  had  been  a  long  time  resident  in 
Calvert  county.  The  grounds  had  been  laid  out,  and 
all  the  improvements  projected  about  the  family  abode, 
in  a  style  of  much  magnificence,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  old  aristocrary  of  Maryland  and  Virginia. 
Appendant  to  the  domicile,  and  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  house,  was  a  family  vault,  built  of  brick,  in 
which  reposed  the  occupants  of  the  estate,  who  had 
lived  there  for  many  previous  generations.  This 
vault  had  not  been  opened  or  entered  for  fifteen  years 
previous  to  the  time  of  which  I  speak  ;  but  it  so  hap 
pened,  that  at  this  period,  a  young  man,  a  distant 
relation  of  the  family,  died,  having  requested  on  his 
death-bed,  that  he  might  be  buried  in  this  family 
resting  place.  When  I  came  on  Saturday  evening  to 
see  my  wife  and  child,  Mr.  Symmes  desired  me,  as  I 
was  older  than  any  of  his  black  men,  to  take  an  iron 
pick  and  go  and  open  the  vault,  which  I  accordingly 
did,  by  cutting  away  the  mortar,  and  removing  a  few 
bricks  from  one  side  of  the  building  ;  but  I  could  not 
remove  more  than  three  or  four  bricks  before  I  was 
obliged,  by  the  horrid  effluvia  which  issued  at  the 
aperture,  to  retire.  It  was  the  most  deadly  and  sick 
ening  scent  that  I  have  ever  smelled,  and  I  could  not 
return  to  complete  the  work  until  after  the  sun  had 
risen  the  next  day,  when  I  pulled  down  so  much  of 
on/"  of  the  side  walls,  as  to  permit  persons  to  walk  in 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  23 

upright.  I  then  went  in  alone,  and  examined  this 
house  of  the  dead,  and  surely  no  picture  could  more 
strongly  and  vividly  depict  the  emptiness  of  all  earthly 
vanity,  and  the  nothingness  of  human  pride.  Disper 
sed  over  the  floor  lay  the  fragments  of  more  than 
twenty  human  skeletons,  each  in  the  place  where  it 
had  been  deposited  by  the  idle  tenderness  of  surviving 
friends.  In  some  cases  nothing  remained  but  the  hair 
and  the  larger  bones,  whilst  in  several  the  form  of  the 
coffin  was  yet  visible,  with  all  the  bones  resting  in 
their  proper  places.  One  coffin,  the  sides  of  which 
were  yet  standing,  the  lid  only  having  decayed  and 
partly  fallen  in,  so  as  to  disclose  the  contents  of  this 
narrow  cell,  presented  a  peculiarly  moving  spectacle. 
Upon  the  centre  of  the  lid  was  a  large  silver  plate,  and 
the  head  and  foot  were  adorned  with  silver  stars. — 
The  nails  which  had  united  the  parts  of  the  coffin  had 
also  silver  heads.  Within  lay  the  skeletons  of  a  mo 
ther  and  her  infant  child,  in  slumbers  only  to  be 
broken  by  the  peal  of  the  last  trumpet.  The  bones 
of  the  infant  lay  upon  the  breast  of  the  mother,  where 
the  hands  of  affection  had  shrouded  them.  The  ribs 
of  the  parent  had  fallen  down,  and  rested  on  the  back 
bone.  Many  gold  rings  were  about  the  bones  of  the 
fingers.  Brilliant  ear-rings  lay  beneath  where  the  ears 
had  been  ;  and  a  glittering  gold  chain  encircled  the 
ghastly  and  haggard  vetebne  of  a  once  beautiful  neck 


64  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

The  shroud  and  flesh  had  disappeared,  but  the  hair  of 
the  mother  appeared  strong  and  fresh.  Even  the 
silken  locks  of  the  infimt  were  still  preserved.  Behold 
the  end  of  youth  and  beauty,  and  of  all  that  is  lovely 
in  life  !  The  coffin  was  so  much  decayed  that  it 
could  not  be  removed.  A  thick  and  dismal  vapor 
hung  embodied  from  the  roof  and  walls  of  this  charnal 
house,  in  appearance  somewhat  like  a  mass  of  dark 
cobwebs  ;  but  which  was  impalpable  to  the  touch,  and 
when  stirred  by  the  hand  vanished  away.  On  the 
second  day  we  deposited  with  his  kindred,  the  corpse 
of  the  young  man,  and  at  night  I  again  carefully 
closed  up  the  breach  which  I  had  made  in  the 
of  this  dwelling-place  of  the  dead. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  25 


CHAPTER    II 


SOME  short  time  after  my  wife  became  chambermaid 
to  her  mistress,  it  was  my  misfortune  to  change  mas 
ters  once  more.  Levin  Ballard,  who,  as  before  stated, 
had  purchased  me  of  the  children  of  my  former  master, 
Jack  Cox,  was  successful  in  his  law  suit  with  Mr. 
Gibson,  the  object  of  which  was  to  determine  the 
right  of  property  in  me  ;  and  one  day,  whilst  I  was  at 
work  in  the  corn-field,  Mr.  Ballard  came  and  told  me 
I  was  his  property  ;  asking  me  at  the  same  time  if  I 
was  willing  to  go  with  him.  I  told  him  I  was  not 
willing  to  go  ;  but  that  if  I  belonged  to  him  I  knew 
I  must.  We  then  went  to  the  house,  and  Mr.  Gibson 
not  being  at  home,  Mrs.  Gibson  told  me  I  must  go 
with  Mr.  Ballard. 

I  accordingly  went  with  him,  determining  to  serve 
him  obediently  and  faithfully.  I  remained  in  his  ser 
vice  almost  three  years,  and  as  he  lived  near  the  resi 
dence  of  my  wife's  master,  my  former  mode  of  life 
was  Dot  materially  changed,  by  this  change  of  home. 


26  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

Mrs.  Symmes  spent  much  of  her  time  in  exchang 
ing  visits  with  the  families  of  the  other  large  planters, 
both  in  Calvert  and  the  neighboring  counties  ;  and 
through  my  wife,  I  became  acquainted  with  the  pri 
vate  family  history  of  many  of  the  principal  persons 
in  Maryland. 

There  was  a  great  proprietor,  who  resided  in  another 
county,  who  owned  several  hundred  slaves  ;  and  who 
permitted  them  to  beg  of  travelers  on  the  high- way. 
This  same  gentleman  had  several  daughters,  and  ac 
cording  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  kept  what  they 
called  open  house  :  that  is,  his  house  wras  free  to  all 
persons  of  genteel  appearance,  who  chose  to  visit  it. 
The  young  ladies  were  supposed  to  be  the  greatest 
fortunes  in  the  country,  were  reputed  beautiful,  and 
consequently  were  greatly  admired. 

Two  gentlemen,  who  were  lovers  of  these  girls,  de 
sirous  of  amusing  their  mistresses,  invited  a  young 
man,  whose  standing  in  society  they  supposed  to  be 
beneath  theirs,  to  go  with  them  to  the  manor,  as  it 
was  called.  When  there,  they  endeavored  to  make 
him  an  object  of  ridicule,  in  presence  of  the  ladies  ; 
but  he  so  well  acquitted  himself,  and  manifested  such 
superior  wit  and  talents,  that  one  of  the  young  ladies 
fell  in  love  with  him,  and  soon  after  wrote  him  a  let 
ter,  which  led  to  their  marriage.  1m  two  pretended 
friends  were  never  afterwards  countenanced  by  th& 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  27 

family,  as  gentlemen  of  honor ;  but  the  fortunate 
husband  avenged  himself  of  his  heartless  companions, 
by  inviting  them  to  his  wedding,  and  exposing  them 
to  the  observation  of  the  vast  assemblage  of  fashion 
able  people,  who  always  attended  a  marriage,  in  the 
family  of  a  great  planter. 

The  two  gentlemen,  who  had  been  thus  made  to 
fall  into  the  pit  that  they  had  dug  for  another,  were 
so  much  chagrined  at  the  issue  of  the  adventure,  that 
one  soon  left  Maryland  ;  and  the  other  became  a  com 
mon  drunkard,  and  died  a  few  years  afterwards. 

My  change  of  masters  realized  all  the  evil  appre 
hensions  which  I  had  entertained.  I  found  Mr.  Bal- 
lard  sullen  and  crabbed  in  his  temper,  and  always 
prone  to  find  fault  with  my  conduct — no  matter  how 
hard  I  had  labored,  or  how  careful  I  was  to  fulfil  all 
his  orders,  and  obey  his  most  unreasonable  commands. 
Yet,  it  so  happened,  that  he  never  beat  me,  for  which, 
I  was  altogether  indebted  to  the  good  character,  for 
industry,  sobriety  and  humility,  which  I  had  estab 
lished  in  the  neighborhood.  I  think  he  was  ashamed 
to  abuse  me,  lest  he  should  suffer  in  the  good  opinion 
of  the  public  ;  for  he  often  fell  into  the  most  violent 
fits  of  anger  against  me,  and  overwhelmed  me  with 
coarse  and  abusive  language.  He  did-  not  give  me 
clothes  enough  to  keep  me  warm  in  winter,  and  com 
pelled  me  to  >v  irk  in  the  woods,  when  there  wan  deep 


28  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  /  or, 

snow  on  the  ground,  by  which  I  suffered  very  much. 
I  had  determined  at  last  to  speak  to  him  to  sell  me  to 
some  person  in  the  neighborhood,  so  that  I  might  still 
be  near  my  wife  and  children — but  a  different  fate 
awaited  me. 

My  master  kept  a  store  at  a  small  village  on  the 

bank  of  the  Patuxent  river,  called  B •,  although 

he  resided  at  some  distance  on  a  farm.  One  morning 
he  rose  early,  and  ordered  me  to  take  a  yoke  of  oxen 
and  go  to  the  village,  to  bring  home  a  cart  which  was 
there,  saying  he  would  follow  me.  He  arrived  at  the 
village  soon  after  I  did,  and  took  his  breakfast  with 
his  store-keeper.  He  then  told  me  to  come  into  the 
house  and  get  my  breakfast.  Whilst  I  was  eating  in 
the  kitchen,  I  observed  him  talking  earnestly,  but 
low,  to  a  stranger  near  the  kitchen  door.  I  soon  after 
went  out,  and  hitched  my  oxen  to  the  cart,  and  was 
about  to  drive  off,  when  several  men  came  round  about 
me,  and  amongst  them  the  stranger  whom  I  had  seen 
speaking  with  my  master.  This  man  came  up  to  me, 
and,  seizing  me  by  the  collar,  shook  me  violently,  say 
ing  I  was  his  property,  and  must  go  with  him  to 
Georgia.  At  the  sound  of  these  words,  the  thoughts 
of  my  wife  and  children  rushed  across  my  mind,  and 
my  heart  beat  away  within  me.  I  saw  and  knew  that 
rny  case  was  hopeless,  and  that  resistance  was  vain, 
as  there  were  near  twenty  persons  jTesent,  all  of  whom 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  29 

were  ready  to  assist  the  man  by  whom  I  was  kidnap 
ped.  I  felt  incapable  of  weeping  or  speaking,  and  ii 
my  despair  I  laughed  loudly.  My  purchaser  ordered 
me  to  cross  my  hands  behind,  which  were  quickl} 
bound  with  a  strong  cord  ;  anjl  he  then  told  me  thai 
we  must  set  out  that  very  day  for  the  South.  I  asked 
if  I  could  not  be  allowed  to  go  to  see  my  wife  and 
children,  or  if  this  could  not  be  permitted,  if  they 
might  not  have  leave  to  come  to  see  me  :  but  was 

O  ' 

told  that  I  would  be  able  to  get  another  wife  in 
Georgia. 

TMy  new  master,  whose  name  I  did  not  hear,  took 
nle  that  same  day  across  the  Patuxent,  where  I  joined 
fifty-one  other  slaves,  whom  he  had  bought  in  Mary 
land.  Thirty-two  of  these  were  men,  and  nineteen 
were  women.  The  women  were  merely  tied  together 
with  a  rope,  about  the  size  of  a  bed-cord,  which  was 
tied  likeTaT  halter  rounct  the  neck  of  each  ;  but  the 
men,  of  whom  I  was  th<Tstoutest  and  strongest,  were 
very  differently  caparisoned.  A  strong  iron  collar 
was  closely  fitted  by  means  of  a  padlock  round  each 

of  our  necks A  chain  of  iron,  about  a  hundred  feet 

in  length,  was  passed  through  the  hasp  of  each  pad 
lock,  except  at  the  two  ends,  where  the  hasps  of  the 
padlock  passed  through  a  link  of  the  chain.  In  addi 
tion  to  this,  we^were  handcuffed  in  pairs,  with  iron 
staples  and  bolts,  with  a  short  chain,  about  a  foot 


30  Fifty  Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

lone:,  uniting  the  handcuffs  and  their  wearers  in  pairs. 
In  this  manner  we  were  chained  alternately  by  the 
right  and  left  hand  ;  and  the  poor  man  to  whom  I 
was  thus  ironed,  wept  like  an  infant  when  the  black 
smith,  with  his  heavy  hammer,  fastened  the  ends  of 
the  bolts  that  kept  the  staples  from  slipping  from  our 
arms.  For  my  own  part,  I  felt  indifferent  to  my  fate. 
It  appeared  to  me  that  the  worst  had  come  that  could 
come,  and  that  no  change  of  fortune  could  harm  me. 
After  we  were  all  chained  and  handcuffed  together, 
we  sat  down  upon  the  ground  ;  and  here  reflecting 
upon  the  sad  reverse  of  fortune  that  had  so  suddenly 
overtaken  me,  I  became  weary  of  life,  and  bitterly 
execrated  the  day  I  was  born.  It  seemed  that  I  was 
destined  by  fate  to  drink  the  cup  of  sorrow  to  the 
very  dregs,  and  that  I  should  find  no  respite  from 
misery  bnt  in  the  grave.  I  longed  to  die,  and  escape 
from  the  hands  of  my  tormentors  ;  but  even  the 
wretched  privilege  of  destroying  myself  was  denied 
me,  for  I  could  not  shake  off  my  chains,  nor  move  a 
yard  without  the  consent  of  my  master.  Beflecting 
in  silence  upon  my  forlorn  condition,  I  at  length  con 
cluded,  that  as  things  could  not  become  worse — and 
as  the  life  of  man  is  but  a  continued  round  of  changes, 
they  must,  of  necessity,  take  a  turn  in  my  favor  at 
some  future  day.  I  found  relief  in  this  vague  and 
indefinite  hope,  anc  when  we  received  orders  to  go  on 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  31 

hoard  the  scow,  which  was  to  transport  us  over  the 
Patuxent,  I  marched  down  to  the  water  with  a  firm 
ness  of  purpose  of  which  I  did  not  believe  myself  capa 
ble,  a  few  minutes  before. 

We  were  soon  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and 
taking  up  our  line  of  march,  we  traveled  about  five 
miles  that  evening,  and  stopped  for  the  night  at  one 
of  those  miserable  public  houses,  so  frequent  in  the 
lower  parts  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  called  "  ordi 
naries!' 

Our  master  ordered  a  pot  of  mush  to  be  made  for 
our  supper  ;  after  despatching  which  we  all  lay  down 
on  the  naked  floor  to  sleep  in  our  handcufis  and  chains. 
The  women,  my  fellow-slaves,  lay  on  one  side  of  the 
room  ;  and  the  men  who  were  chained  with  me,  occu 
pied  the  other.  I  slept  but  little  this  night,  which  I 
passed  in  thinking  of  my  wife  and  little  children, 
whom  I  could  not  hope  ever  to  see  again.  I  also 
thought  of  my  grandfather,  and  of  the  long  nights  I 
had  passed  with  him,  listening  to  his  narratives  of  the 
scenes  through  which  he  had  passed  in  Africa.  I  at 
length  fell  asleep,  but  was  distressed  by  painful  dreams. 
My  wife  and  children  appeared  to  be  weeping  and 
lamenting  my  calamity  ;  and  beseeching  and  implor 
ing  my  master  on  their  knees,  not  to  carry  me  away 
from  them.  My  little  boy  came  and  begged  me  not 
to  go  and  leave  hiiu,  and  endeavored,  as  I  thought, 


32  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

with  his  little  hands  to  break  the  fetters  that  bound 
me.  I  awoke  in  agony  and  cursed  my  existence.  I 
could  not  pray,  for  the  measure  of  my  woes  seemed  to 
be  full,  and  I  felt  as  if  there  was  no  mercy  in  heaven, 
nor  compassion  on  earth,  for  a  man  who  was  born  a 
slave.  Day  at  length  came,  and  with  the  dawn,  we 
resumed  our  journey  towards  the  Potomac.  As  we 
passed  along  the  road,  I  saw  the  slaves  at  work  in  the 
corn  and  tobacco  fields.  I  knew  they  toiled  hard  and 
lacked  food ;  but  they  were  not,  like  me,  dragged  in 
chains  from  their  wives,  children  and  friends.  Com 
pared  with  me,  they  were  the  happiest  of  mortals.  I 
almost  envied  them  their  blessed  lot. 

Before  night  we  crossed  the  Potomac,  at  Hoe's 
Ferry,  and  bade  farewell  to  Maryland.  At  night  we 
stopped  at  the  house  of  a  poor  gentleman,  at  least  he 
appeared  to  wish  my  master  to  consider  him  a  gentle 
man  ;  and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  establishing  his 
claim  to  poverty.  He  lived  at  the  side,  of  the  road,  in 
a  framed  house,  which  had  never  been  plastered  with 
in — the  weather-boards  being  the  only  wall.  He  had 
about  fifty  acres  of  land  enclosed  by  a  fence,  the  re 
mains  of  a  farm  which  had  once  covered  two  or  three 
hundred  acres  ;  but  the  cedar  bushes  had  encroached 
upon  all  sides,  until  the  cultivation  had  been  confined 
to  its  present  limits.  The  land  was  the  picture  of 
sterility,  and  there  was  neither  barn  nor  stable  on  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave  33 

place.  The  owner  was  ragged,  and  his  wife  and  chil 
dren  were  in  a  similar  plight.  It  was  with  difficulty 
that  we  obtained  a  bushel  of  corn,  which  our  master 
ordered  us  to  parch  at  a  fire  made  in  the  yard,  and  to 
eat  for  our  supper.  Even  this  miserable  family  pos 
sessed  two  slaves,  half-starved,  half-naked  wretches, 
whose  appearance  bespoke  them  familiar  with  hunger, 
and  victims  of  the  lash  ;  but  yet  there  was  one  pang 
which  they  had  not  known — they  had  not  been  chained 
and  driven  from  their  parents  or  children,  into  hopeless 
exile. 

We  left  this  place  early  in  the  morning,  and  direct 
ed  our  course  toward  the  south-west ;  our  mastei 
riding  beside  us,  and  hastening  our  march,  sometimes 
by  words  of  encouragement,  and  sometimes  by  threats 
of  punishment.  The  women  took  their  place  in  the 
rear  of  our  line.  We  halted  about  nine  o'clock  for 
breakfast,  and  received  as  much  corn-bread  as  we 
could  eat,  together  with  a  plate  of  boiled  herrings,  and 
about  three  pounds  of  pork  amongst  us.  Before  we 
left  this  place,  I  was  removed  from  near  the  middle  of 
the  chain,  and  placed  at  the  front  end  of  it ;  so  that 
I  now  became  the  leader  of  the  file,  and  held  this  post 
of  honor  until  our  irons  were  taken  from  us,  near  the 
town  of  Columbia  in  South  Carolina.  We  continued 
our  route  this  day  along  the  high  road  between  the 

Potomac  and  Rappahannock  ;  and  I  saw  each  of  those 

2* 


34  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

rivers  several  times  before  night.  Our  master  gave  us 
no  dinner  to-day,  but  we  halted  and  got  as  much 
corn-mush  and  sour  milk  as  we  could  eat  for  supper. 
The  weather  grew  mild  and  pleasant,  and  we  needed 
no  more  fires  at  night. 

From  this  time  we  all  slept  promiscuously,  men  and 
women  on  the  floors  of  such  houses  as  we  chanced  to 
stop  at.  We  passed  on  through  Bowling  Green,  a 
quiet  village. 

Time  did  not  reconcile  me  to  my  chains,  but  it  made 
me  familiar  with  them.  I  reflected  on  my  desperate 
situation  with  a  degree  of  calmness,  hoping  that  I 
might  be  able  to  devise  some  means  of  escape.  My 
master  placed  a  particular  value  upon  me,  for  I  heard 
him  tell  a  tavern-keeper  that  if  he  had  me  in  Georgia 
he  could  get  eight  hundred  dollars  for  me,  but  he  had 
bought  me  for  his  brother,  and  believed  he  should  not 
sell  me  ;  he  afterwards  changed  his  mind,  however. 
I  carefully  examined  every  part  of  our  chain,  but  found 
no  place  where  it  could  be  separated. 

We  all  had  as  much  corn-bread  as  we  could  eat, 
procured  of  our  owner  at  the  places  we  stopped  at  for 
the  night.  In  addition  to  this  we  usually  had  a  salt 
herring  every  day.  On  Sunday  we  had  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  of  bacon  each. 

We  continued  our  course  up  the  country  westward 
Foi  n  few  days  and  then  turned  South,  crossed  James 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  35 

river  above  Kichmond,  as  I  heard  at  the  time.  After 
more  than  four  weeks  of  travel  we  entered  South  Caro 
lina  near  Camden,  and  for  the  first  time  I  saw  a  field 
of  cotton  in  bloom. 

As  we  approached  the  Yadkin  river  the  tobacco 
disappeared  from  the  fields  and  the  cotton  plant  took 
its  place  as  an  article  of  general  culture. 

I  was  now  a  slave  in  South  Carolina,  and  had  no 
hope  of  ever  again  seeing  my  wife  and  children.  I 
had  at  times  serious  thoughts  of  suicide  so  great  was 
my  anguish.  If  I  could  have  got  a  rope  I  should 
have  hanged  myself  at  Lancaster.  The  thought  of 
my  wife  and  children  I  had  been  torn  from  in  Mary 
land,  and  the  dreadful  undefined  future  which  was 
before  me,  came  near  driving  me  mad.  It  was  long 
after  midnight  before  I  fell  asleep,  but  the  most  plea- 
Bant  dream,  succeeded  to  these  sorrowful  forebodings. 
I  thought  I  had  escaped  my  master,  and  through 
great  difficulties  made  my  way  back  to  Maryland,  and 
was  again  in  my  wife's  cabin  with  my  little  children 
on  my  lap.  Every  object  was  so  vividly  impressed  on 
my  mind  in  this  dream,  that  when  I  awoke,  a  firm 
conviction  settled  upon  my  mind,  that  by  some  means, 
at  present  incomprehensible  to  me,  I  should  yet  again 
embrace  my  wife,  and  caress  my  children  in  their 
humble  dwelling.  Early  in  the  morning,  our  master 
called  us  up  ;  and  distributed  to  each  of  the  party  a 


36  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

cake  made  of  corn-meal  and  a  small  piece  of  bacon. 
On  our  journey,  we  had  only  eaten  twice  a  day,  and 
had  not  received  breakfast  until  about  nine  o'clock  ; 
but  he  said  this  morning  meal  was  given  to  welcome 
us  to  South  Carolina.  He  then  addressed  us  all,  and 
told  us  we  might  now  give  up  all  hope  of  ever  return 
ing  to  the  places  of  our  nativity  ;  as  it  would  be  im 
possible  for  us  to  pass  through  the  States  of  North 
Carolina  and  Virginia,  without  being  taken  up  and 
sent  back.  He  further  advised  us  to  make  ourselves 
contented,  as  he  would  take  us  to  Georgia,  a  far  bet 
ter  country  than  any  we  had  seen  ;  and  where  we 
would  be  able  to  live  in  the  greatest  abundance. 
About  sunrise  we  took  up  our  march  on  the  road  to 
Columbia,  as  we  were  told.  Hitherto  our  master  had 
not  offered  to  sell  any  of  us,  and  had  even  refused  to 
stop  to  talk  to  any  one  on  the  subject  of  our  sale,  al 
though  he  had  several  times  been  addressed  on  this 
point,  before  we  reached  Lancaster  ;  but  soon  after 
we  departed  from  this  village,  we  were  overtaken  on 
the  road  by  a  man  on  horseback,  who  accosted  our 
driver  by  asking  him  if  his  niggars  were  for  sale. 
The  latter  replied,  that  he  believed  he  would  not  sell 
any  yet,  as  he  was  on  his  way  to  Georgia,  and  cotton 
being  now  much  in  demand,  he  expected  to  obtain 
high  prices  for  us  from  persons  who  were  going  to 
settle  in  the  new  purchase  He,  however,  contrary  to 


The  Life  of  an   American  Slave.  37 

his  custom,  ordered  us  to  stop,  and  told  the  stranger 
he  might  look  at  us,  and  that  he  would  find  us  as  fine 
a  lot  of  hands  as  were  ever  imported  into  the  country 
— that  we  were  all  prime  property,  and  he  had  no 
doubt  would  command  his  own  prices  in  Georgia. 

The  stranger,  who  was  a  thin,  weather-beaten,  sun 
burned  figure,  then  said,  he  wanted  a  couple  of  breed 
ing  wenches,  and  would  give  as  much  for  them  as  they 
would  bring  in  Georgia — that  he  had  lately  heard 
from  Augusta,  and  that  niggers  were  not  higher  there 
than  in  Columbia,  and,  as  he  had  been  in  Columbia 
the  week  before,  he  knew  what  niggers  were  worth. 
He  then  walked  along  our  line,  as  we  stood  chained 
together,  and  looked  at  the  whole  of  us — then  turning 
to  the  women,  asked  the  prices  of  the  two  pregnant 
ones.  Our  master  replied,  that  these  were  two  of  the 
best  breeding- wenches  in  all  Maryland — that  one  was 
twenty-two,  and  the  other  only  nineteen — that  the 
first  was  already  the  mother  of  seven  children,  and 
the  other  of  four — that  he  had  himself  seen  the  chil 
dren  at  the  time  he  bought  their  mothers — and  that 
such  wenches  would  be  cheap  at  a  thousand  dollars 
each  ;  but  as  they  were  not  able  to  keep  up  with  the 
gang,  he  would  take  twelve  hundred  dollars  for  the 
two.  The  purchaser  said  this  was  too  much,  but  that 
he  would  give  nine  hundred  dollars  for  the  pair.  This 
vrice  was  promptly  refused  ;  but  our  master,  after 


38  Fifty   Tears  in  Chains  ;  o'} 

eome  consideration,  said  he  was  willing  to  sell  a  bar 
gain  in  these  wenches,  and  would  take  eleven  hundred 
dollars  for  them,  which  was  objected  to  on  the  other 
side  ;  and  many  faults  and  failings  were  pointed  out 
in  the  merchandise.  After  much  bargaining,  and  many 
gross  jests  on  the  part  of  the  stranger,  he  offered  a 
thousand  dollars  for  the  two,  and  said  he  would  give 
no  more.  He  then  mounted  his  horse,  and  moved 
off ;  but  after  he  had  gone  about  one  hundred  yards, 
he  was  called  back  ;  and  our  master  said,  if  he  would 
go  with  him  to  the  next  blacksmith's  shop  on  the 
road  to  Columbia,  and  pay  for  taking  the  irons  off 
the  rest  of  us,  he  might  have  the  two  women. 

This  proposal  was  agreed  to,  and  as  it  was  now 
about  nine  o'clock,  we  were  ordered  to  hasten  on  to 
the  next  house,  where,  we  were  told,  we  must  stop 
for  breakfast.  At  this  place  we  were  informed  that  it 
was  ten  miles  to  the  next  smith's  shop,  and  our  new 
acquaintance  was  obliged  by  the  terms  of  his  contract, 
to  accompany  us  thither.  We  received  for  breakfast, 
about  a  pint  of  boiled  rice  to  each  person,  and  after 
this  was  despatched,  we  again  took  to  the  road,  eager 
to  reach  the  blacksmith's  shop,  at  which  we  expected 
to  be  relieved  of  the  iron  rings  and  chains,  which  had 
so  long  galled  and  worried  us.  About  two  o'clock  we 
arrived  at  the  longed-for  residence  of  the  smith  ;  but, 
on  inq  'livy,  our  master  was  informed  that  he  was  not 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  39 

at  home,  and  would  not  return  before  evening.  Here 
a  controversy  arose,  whether  we  should  all  remain  here 
until  the  smith  returned,  or  the  stranger  should  go  on 
with  us  to  the  next  smithery,  which  was  said  to  be 
only  five  miles  distant.  This  was  a  point  not  easily 
settled  between  two  such  spirits  as  our  master  and  the 
stranger  ;  both  of  whom  had  been  overseers  in  their 
time,  and  both  of  whom  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  pro 
prietors  of  slaves. 

The  matter  had  already  produced  angry  words,  and 
much  vaunting  on  the  part  of  the  stranger  ; — "  that  a 
freeman  of  South  Carolina  was  not  to  be  imposed  up 
on  ;  that  by  the  constitution  of  the  State,  his  rights 
were  sacred,  and  he  was  not  to  be  deprived  of  his 
liberty,  at  the  arbitrary  will  of  a  man  just  from  amongst 
the  Yankees,  and  who  had  brought  with  him  to  the 
South  as  many  Yankee  tricks  as  he  had  niggers,  and 
he  believed  many  more."  He  then  -swore,  that  "  all 
the  niggers  in  the  drove  were  Yankee  niggers." 

"  When  I  overseed  for  Colonel  Polk,"  said  he,  "  on 
his  rice  plantation,  he  had  two  Yankee  niggers  that 
he  brought  from  Maryland,  and  they  were  running 
away  every  day.  I  gave  them  a  hundred  lashes  more^ 
than  a  dozen  times  ;  but  they  never  quit  running 
away,  till  I  chained  them  together,  with  iron  collars 
round  their  necks,  and  chained  them  to  spades,  and 
made  them  do  nothing  but  dig  ditches  to  drain  the 


40  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  •   or, 

rice  swamps.  They  could  not  jun  away  then,  unless 
they  went  together,  and  carried  their  chains  and  spades 
with  them.  I  kept  them  in  this  way  two  years,  and 
better  niggers  I  never  had.  One  of  them  died  one 
night,  and  the  other  was  never  good  for  anything  after 
he  lost  his  mate.  He  never  ran  away  afterwards,  but 
he  died  too,  after  a  while."  He  then  addressed  him 
self  to  the  two  women,  whose  master  he  had  become, 
and  told  them  that  if  eve&4hey  ran  away,  he  would  treat 
them  in  the  same  way. '  Wretched  as  I  was  myself, 
my  heart  bled  for  these  poor  creatures^who  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  a  tiger  in  human  forn?L  The  dispute 
between  the  two  masters  was  still  raging,  when,  un 
expectedly,  the  blacksmith  rode  up  to  his  house,  on  a 
thin,  bony-looking  horse,  and  dismounting,  asked  his 
wife  what  these  gentlemen  were  making  such  afrolicJc 
about.  I  did  not  hear  her  answer,  but  both  the  dis 
putants  turned  and  addressed  themselves  to  the  smith 
— the  one  to  know  what  price  he  would  demand  to 
take  the  irons  off  all  these  niggers,  and  the  other  to 
Know  how  long  it  would  take  him  to  perform  the 
work.  It  is  here  proper  for  me  to  observe,  that  there 
are  many  phrases  of  language  in  common  use  in  Caro 
lina  and  Georgia,  which  are  applied  in  a  way  that 
would  not  be  understood  by  persons  from  one  of  the 
Northern  States.  For  instance,  when  several  persons 
are  quarrelling,  brawling,  making  a  great  noise,  or 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  41 

even  fighting,  they  say,  "  the  gentlemen  are  frolick 
ing  !"  I  heard  many  other  terms  equally  strange, 
vvhilst  I  resided  in  the  southern  country,  amongst  such 
white  people  as  I  became  acquainted  with  ;  though 
my  acquaintance  was  confined,  in  a  great  measure,  to 
overseers,  and  such  people  as  did  not  associate  with 
the  rich  planters  and  great  families. 

The  smith  at  length  agreed  to  take  the  irons  from 
the  whole  of  us  for  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents,  and 
immediately  set  about  it,  with  the  air  of  indifference 
that  he  would  have  manifested  in  tearing  a  pair  of  old 
shoes  from  the  hoofs  of  a  wagon-horse.  It  was  four 
weeks  and  five  days,  from  the  time  my  irons  had  been 
riveted  upon  me,  until  they  were  removed,  and  great 
as  had  been  my  sufferings  whilst  chained  to  my  fellow- 
slaves,  I  cannot  say  that  I  felt  any  pleasure  in  being 
released  from  my  long  confinement ;  for  I  knew  that 
my  liberation  was  only  preparatory  to  my  final,  and, 
as  I  feared,  perpetual  subjugation  to  the  power  of 
some  such  monster,  as  the  one  then  before  me,  who 
was  preparing  to  drive  away  the  two  unfortunate  wo 
men  whom  he  had  purchased,  and  whose  life's-blood 
he  had  acquired  the  power  of  shedding  at  pleasure, 
for  the  sum  of  a  thousand  dollars.  After  we  were 
released  from  our  chains,  our  master  sold  the  whole 
lot  of  irons,  which  we  had  borne  from  Maryland,  to 
the  blacksmith,  for  seven  dollau 


42  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

The  smith  then  procured  a  bottle  of  rum,  and 
treated  his  two  new  acquaintances  to  a  part  of  its 
contents — wishing  them  both  good  luck  with  their 
niggers.  After  these  civilities  were  over,  the  two  wo 
men  were  ordered  to  follow  their  new  master,  who 
shaped  his  course  across  the  country,  by  a  road  lead 
ing  westwest.  At  parting  from  us,  they  both  wept 
aloud,  and  wrung  their  hands  in  despair.  We  all 
went  to  them,  and  bade  them  a  last  farewell.  Their 
road  led  into  a  wood,  which  they  soon  entered,  and  I 
never  saw  them  nor  heard  of  them  agair*. 

These  women  had  both  been  driven  from  Calvert 
county,  as  well  as  myself,  and  the  fate  of  the  younger 
of  the  two,  was  peculiarly  severe. 

She  had  been  brought  up  as  a  waiting-maid  of  a 
young  lady,  the  daughter  of  a  gentleman,  whose  wife 
and  family  often  visited  the  mistress  of  my  own  wife. 
I  had  frequently  seen  this  woman  when  she  was  a 
young  girl,  in  attendance  upon  her  young  mistress, 
and  riding  in  the  same  carriage  with  her.  The  father 
of  the  young  lady  died,  and  soon  after  she  married  a 
gentleman  who  resided  a  few  miles  off.  The  husband 
received  a  considerable  fortune  with  his  bride,  and 
amongst  other  things,  her  waiting-maid,  who  was  re 
puted  a  great  beauty  among  people  of  color,  fie  had 
been  addicted  to  the  fashionable  sports  of  the  coun 
try,  before  marriage,  such  as  horse-racing,  fox-hunt- 


The  Life  of'  an"  American  Slave.  43 

ing,  &c.,  and  I  had  heard  the  black  people  say  he  drank 
too  freely  ;  but  it  was  supposed  that  he  would  cor 
rect  all  these  irregularities  after  marriage,  more  espe 
cially  as  his  wife  was  a  great  belle,  and  withal  very 
handsome.  The  reverse,  however,  turned  out  to  be 
the  fact.  Instead  of  growing  better,  he  became  worse  ; 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  was  known  all  ovei 
the  country,  as  a  drunkard  and  a  gambler.  His  wife, 
it  was  said,  died  of  grief,  tind  soon  after  her  death,  his 
effects  were  seized  by  his  creditors,  and  sold  by  the 
sheriff.  The  former  waiting-maid,  now  the  mother 
of  several  children,  was  purchased  by  our  present  mas 
ter,  for  four  hundred  dollars,  at  the  sheriff's  sale,  and 
this  poor  wretch,  whose  employment  in  early  life  had 
been  to  take  care  of  her  young  mistress,  and  attend 
to  her  in  her  chamber,  and  at  her  toilet,  after  being 
torn  from  her  husband  and  her  children,  had  now  gone 
to  toil  out  a  horrible  existence  beneath  the  scorching 
sun  of  a  South  Carolina  cotton-field,  under  the  do 
minion  of  a  master,  as  void  of  the  manners  of  a  gentle 
man,  as  he  was  of  the  language  of  humanity. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon ;  but,  as  we  had 
made  little  progress  to-day,  and  were  now  divested  of 
the  burden  of  our  chains,  as  well  as  freed  from  the 
two  women,  who  had  hitherto  much  retarded  our 
march,  our  master  ordered  us  to  hasten  on  our  way, 
as  we  had  ten  mles  to  go  that  evening.  I  had 


44  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

been  so  long  oppressed  by  the  weight  of  my  chains, 
and  the  iron  collar  about  my  neck,  that  for  some  time 
after  I  commenced  walking  at  my  natural  liberty,  I 
felt  a  kind  of  giddiness,  or  lightness  of  the  head 
Most  of  my  companions  complained  of  the  same  sen 
sation,  and  we  did  not  recover  our  proper  feelings 
until  after  we  had  slept  one  night.  It  was  after  dark 
when  we  arrived  at  our  lodging-place,  which  proved 
to  be  the  house  of  a  small  cotton-planter,  who,  it 
appeared,  kept  a  sort  of  a  house  of  entertainment  for 
travelers,  contrary  to  what  I  afterwards  discovered  to 
be  the  usual  custom  of  cotton-planters.  This  man 
and  my  master  had  known  each  other  before,  and 
seemed  to  be  well  acquainted.  He  was  the  first  per 
son  that  we  ha'd  met  since  leaving  Maryland,  who 
was  known  to  my  master,  and  as  they  kept  up  a  very 
free  conversation,  through  the  course  of  the  evening, 
and  the  house  in  which  they  were,  was  only  separated 
from  the  kitchen,  in  which  we  were  lodged,  by  a  space 
of  a  few  feet,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing  much 
that  was  highly  interesting  to  me.  The  landlord, 
after  supper,  came  with  our  master  to  look  at  us,  and 
to  see  us  receive  our  allowance  of  boiled  rice  from  the 
hands  of  a  couple  of  black  women,  who  had  j  repared 
it  in  a  large  iron  kettle.  Whilst  viewing  us,  the 
formei  asked  the  latter,  what  he  intended  to  do  with 
his  drove  ;  but  no  reply  w\s  made  to  this  inquiry — 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  45 

and  as  our  master  had,  through  our  whole  journey, 
maintained  a  studied  silence  on  this  subject,  I  felt  a 
great  curiosity  to  know  what  disposition  he  intended 
to  make  of  the  whole  gang,  and  of  myself  in  particu 
lar.  On  their  return  to  the  house,  I  advanced  to  a 
small  window  in  the  kitchen,  which  brought  me  within 
a  few  yards  of  the  place  where  they  sat,  and  from 
which  I  was  able  to  hear  all  they  said,  although  they 
spoke  in  a  low  tone  of  voice.  I  here  learned,  that  so 
many  of  us  as  could  be  sold  for  a  good  price,  were  to 
be  disposed  of  in  Columbia,  on  our  arrival  at  that 
place,  and  that  the  residue  would  be  driven  to  Augusta 
and  sold  there. 

The  landlord  assured  my  master  that  at  this  time 
slaves  were  much  in  demand,  both  in  Columbia  and 
Augusta  ;  that  purchasers  were  numerous  and  prices 
good  ;  and  that  the  best  plan  of  effecting  good  sales 
would  be  to  put  up  each  nigger  separately,  at  auction, 
after  giving  a  few  days'  notice,  by  an  advertisement, 
in  the  neighboring  country.  Cotton,  he  said,  had  not 
been  higher  for  many  years,  and  as  a  great  many  per 
sons,  especially  young  men,  were  moving  off  to  the 
new  purchase  in  Georgia,  prime  hands  were  in  high 
demand,  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  the  land  in  the 
new  country — that  the  boys  and  girls,  under  twenty, 
would  bring  almost  any  price  at  present,  in  Columbia 
for  the  purpose  of  picking  the  growing  crop  of  cotton, 


46  Fifty   Years  in  Chains;  or, 

which  promised  to  be  very  heavy  ;  and  as  most  per 
sons  had  planted  more  than  their  hands  would  be  able 
to  pick,  young  niggers,  who  would  soon  learn  to  pick 
cotton,  were  prime  articles  in  the  market.  As  to 
those  more  advanced  in  life,  he  seemed  to  think  the 
prospect  of  selling  them  at  an  unusual  price,  not  so 
good,  as  they  could  not  so  readily  become  expert  cot 
ton-pickers — he  said  further,  that  for  some  cause, 
which  he  could  not  comprehend,  the  price  of  rice  had 
not  been  so  good  this  year  as  usual ;  and  that  he  had 
found  it  cheaper  to  purchase  rice  to  feed  his  own 
niggers  than  to  provide  them  with  corn,  which  had  to 
be  brought  from  the  upper  country.  He  therefore 
advised  my  master  not  to  drive  us  towards  the  rice 
plantation  of  the  low  country.  My  master  said  he 
would  follow  his  advice,  at  least  so  far  as  to  sell  a 
portion  of  us  in  Carolina,  but  seemed  to  be  of  opinion 
that  his  prime  hands  would  bring  him  more  money  in 
Georgia,  and  named  me,  in  particular,  as  one  who 
would  be  worth,  at  least,  a  thousand  dollars,  to  a 
man  who  was  about  making  a  settlement,  and  clearing 
a  plantation  in  the  new  purchase.  I  therefore  con 
cluded,  that  in  the  course  of  events,  I  was  likely  to 
become  the  property  of  a  Georgian,  which  turned  out 
in  the  end  to  be  the  case,  though  not  so  soon  as  I  at 
this  time  apprehended.  I  slept  but  little  this  night, 
feeling  a  restlessness  wher.  no  longer  in  chains  ;  and 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  47 

pondering  over  the  future  lot  of  my  life,  which  appear 
ed  fraught  only  with  evil  and  misfortune.  Day  at 
length,  dawned;  and  with  its  first  light  we  were  ordered 
to  betake  ourselves  to  the  road,  which,  we  were  told, 
would  lead  us  to  Columbia,  the  place  of  intended  sale 
of  some,  if  not  all  of  us.  For  several  days  past,  I  had 
observed  that  in  the  country  through  which  we  travel 
ed,  little  attention  was  paid  to  the  cultivation  of  any 
thing  but  cotton.  Now  this  plant  was  almost  the  sole 
possessor  of  the  fields.  It  covered  the  plantations 
adjacent  to  the  road,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  both  before 
and  behind  ine,  and  looked  not  unlike  buckwheat  be 
fore  it  blossoms.  I  saw  some  small  fields  of  corn,  and 
lots  of  sweet  potatoes,  amongst  which  the  young  vines 
of  the  water-melon  were  frequently  visible.  The  im 
provements  on  the  plantations  were  not  good.  There 
were  no  barns,  but  only  stables  and  sheds,  to  put  the 
cotton  under,  as  it  was  brought  from  the  field.  Hay 
seemed  to  be  unknown  in  the  country,  for  I  saw  neithei 
hay-stacks  nor  meadows  ;  and  the  few  fields  that  were 
lying  fallow,  had  but  small  numbers  of  cattle  in  them, 
and  these  were  thin  and  meagre.  We  had  met  with 
no  flocks  of  sheep  of  late,  and  the  hogs  that  we  saw 
on  the  road-side  were  in  bad  condition.  The  horses 
and  mules  that  I  saw  in  the  cotton-fields,  were  poor 
and  badly  harnessed,  and  the  half-naked  condition  of 
the  negroes,  who  drove  them,  or  followed  with  th« 


48  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

hoe,  together  with  their  wan  complexions,  proved  to 
me  that  they  had  too  much  work,  or  not  enough  food. 
We  passed  a  cotton-gin  this  morning,  the  first  that  I 
ever  saw  ;  but  they  were  not  at  work  with  it.  We 
also  met  a  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  on  a  journey 
of  pleasure,  riding  in  two  very  handsome  carriages, 
drawn  by  sleek  and  spirited  horses,  very  different  in 
appearance  from  the  moving  skeletons  that  I  had 
noticed  drawing  the  ploughs  in  the  fields.  The  black 
drivers  of  the  coaches  were  neatly  clad  in  gay- colored 
clothes,  and  contrasted  well  with  their  half-naked  bre 
thren,  a  gang  of  whom  were  hoeing  cotton  by  the  road 
side,  near  them,  attended  by  an  overseer  in  a  white 
linen  shirt  and  pantaloons,  with  one  of  the  long 
negro  whips  in  his  hand. 

I  observed  that  these  poor  people  did  not  raise  their 
heads,  to  look  at  either  the  fine  coaches  and  horses 
then  passing,  or  at  us  ;  but  kept  their  faces  steadily 
bent  towards  the  cotton-plants,  from  among  which 
they  were  removing  the  weeds.  I  almost  shuddered 
at  the  sight,  knowing  that  I  myself  was  doomed  to  a 
state  of  servitude  equally  cruel  and  debasing,  unless, 
by  some  unforeseen  occurrence,  I  might  fall  into  the 
hands  of  a  master  ^f  less  inhumanity  of  temper  than 
the  one  who  had  possession  of  the  miserable  creatures 
before  me. 


Life  of  an  American  Slave.  49 


CHAPTER    III. 


IT  was  manifest  that  I  was  now  in  a  country  where 
the  life  of  a  black  man  was  no  more  regarded  than 
that  of  an  ox,  except  as  far  as  the  man  was  worth  the 
more  money  in  the  market.  On  all  the  plantations 
that  we  passed,  there  was  a  want  of  live  stock  of  every 
description,  except  slaves,  and  they  were  deplorably 
abundant. 

The  fields  were  destitute  of  everything  that  de 
served  the  name  of  grass,  and  not  a  spear  of  clover 
was  anywhere  visible.  The  few  cattle  that  existed, 
were  browsing  on  the  boughs  of  the  trees,  in  the  woods. 
Everything  betrayed  a  scarcity  of  the  means  of  sup 
plying  the  slaves,  who  cultivated  the  vast  cotton- 
fields,  with  a  sufficiency  of  food.  We  traveled  this 
day  more  than  thirty  miles,  and  crossed  the  Catawba 
river  in  the  afternoon,  on  the  bottoms  of  which  I  saw, 
for  the  first  time,  fields  of  rice,  growing  in  swamps 
covered  with  water.  Causeways  were  raised  through 

the  low-lands  in  which  the  rice  grew,  and  on  which 

3 


50  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

the  road  was  formed  on  which  we  traveled.  These 
rice-fields,  or  rather  swamps,  had,  in  my  eyes,  a  beau 
tiful  appearance.  The  lice  was  nearly  two  feet  in 
height  above  the  water,  and  of  a  vivid  green  color, 
covering  a  large  space,  of  at  least  a  hundred  acres. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  water,  which  appeared  stag 
nant  and  sickly,  and  swarmed  with  frogs  and  thou 
sands  of  snakes,  it  would  have  been  as  fine  a  sight  as 
one  need  wish  to  look  upon.  After  leaving  the  low 
grounds  along  the  river,  we  again  entered  plantations 
of  cotton,  which  lined  the  roads  on  both  sides,  relieved, 
here  and  there,  by  corn-fields  and  potato-patches. 
We  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  small  tavern,  and  our 
master  said  we  were  within  a  day's  journey  of  Co 
lumbia. 

We  here,  again,  received  boiled  rice  for  supper, 
without  salt,  or  any  kind  of  seasoning  ;  a  pint  was 
allotted  to  each  person,  which  we  greedily  devoured, 
having  had  no  dinner  to-day,  save  an  allowance  of 
corn-cakes,  with  the  fat  of  about  five  pounds  of  bacon, 
extracted  by  frying,  in  which  we  dipped  our  bread.  I 
slept  soundly  after  this  day's  inarch,  the  fatigues  of 
the  body  having,  for  once,  overcome  the  agitations  of 
the  mind.  The  next  day,  which  was,  if  my  recollec 
tion  is  accurate,  the  ninth  of  June,  was  the  last  of  our 
journey  before  our  company  separated  ;  and  we  were 
on  the  road  betore  the  stars  had  disappeared  from  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  51 

sky.  Our  breakfast,  this  morning,  consisted  of  bacon 
soup,  a  dish  composed  of  corn-meal,  boiled  in  water, 
with  a  small  piece  of  bacon  to  give  the  soup  a  taste 
of  meat.  For  dinner  we  had  boiled  Indian  peas,  with 
a  small  allowance  of  bacon.  This  was  the  first  time 
that  we  had  received  two  rations  of  meat  in  the  same 
day,  on  the  whole  journey,  and  some  of  our  party 
were  much  surprised  at  the  kindness  of  our  master  ; 
but  I  had  no  doubt  that  his  object  was  to  make  us 
look  fat  and  hearty,  to  enable  him  to  obtain  bettei 
prices  for  us  at  Columbia. 

At  supper  this  night,  we  had  corn  mush,  in  large 
wooden  trays,  with  melted  lard  to  dip  the  mush  in 
before  eating  it.  We  might  have  reached  Columbia 
this  day  if  we  had  continued  our  march,  but  we  stop 
ped,  at  least  an  hour  before  sun-set,  about  three  miles 
from  town,  at  the  house  of  a  man  who  supported  the 
double  character  of  planter  and  keeper  of  .a  house  of 
entertainment ;  for  I  learned  from  his  slaves  that 
their  master  considered  it  disreputable  to  be  called  a 
tavern-keeper,  and  would  not  put  up  a  sign,  although 
he  received  pay  of  such  persons  as  lodged  with  him. 
His  house  was  a  frame  building,  weather-boarded  with 
pine  boards,  but  had  no  plastering  within.  The  fur 
niture  corresponded  with  the  house  which  contained 
it,  and  was  both  scanty  and  mean,  consisting  of  pine 
tables  and  wooden  chairs,  with  bottoms  made  of  corn- 


52  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

husks.  The  house  was  only  one  story  high,  and  all 
the  rooms,  six  or  seven  in  number,  parlor,  bed-rooms, 
and  kitchen,  were  on  the  first  floor.  As  the  weather 
was  warm  and  the  windows  open,  I  had  an  opportu 
nity  of  looking  into  the  sleeping  rooms  of  the  family, 
as  I  walked  round  the  house,  which  I  was  permitted 
freely  to  do.  The  beds  and  their  furniture  answered 
well  to  the  chairs  and  tables  ;  yet  in  the  large  front 
room  I  observed  on  an  old  fashioned  side-board,  a 
great  quantity  of  glass-ware,  of  various  descriptions, 
with  two  or  three  dozen  silver  spoons,  a  silver  tea-urn, 
and  several  knives  and  forks  with  silver  handles.  In 
the  corner  of  this  room  stood  a  bed  with  gaudy  red 
3urtains,  with  figures  of  lions,  elephants,  naked  ne 
groes,  and  other  representations  of  African  scenery. 

The  master  of  the  house  was  not  at  home  when  we 
arrived,  but  came  in  from  the  field  shortly  afterwards. 
He  met  my  master  with  the  cordiality  of  an  old  friend, 
though  he  had  never  seen  him  before  ;  said  he  was 
happy  to  see  him  at  his  house,  and  that  the  greatest 
pleasure  he  enjoyed  was  derived  from  the  entertain 
ment  of  such  gentlemen  as  thought  proper  to  visit 
his  house  ;  that  he  was  always  glad  to  see  strangers, 
and  more  especially  gentlemen  who  were  adding  so 
much  to  the  wealth  and  population  of  Carolina,  as 
those  merchants  who  imported  servants  from  the 
N  orth.  He  then  observed  that  he  had  never  seen  a 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  53 

finer  lot  of  property  pass  his  house  than  we  were,  and 
that  any  gentleman  who  brought  such  a  stock  of  hands 
into  the  country  was  a  public  benefactor,  and  entitled 
to  the  respect  and  gratitude  of  every  friend  of  the 
South.  He  assured  my  master  that  he  was  happy  to 
see  him  at  his  house,  and  that  if  he  thought  proper  to 
remain  a  few  days  with  him,  it  would  be  his  chief 
business  to  introduce  him  to  the  gentlemen  of  the 
neighborhood,  who  would  all  be  glad  to  become  ac 
quainted  with  a  merchant  of  his  respectability.  In 
the  State  of  Maryland,  my  master  had  been  called  a 
negro  buyer,  or  Georgia  trader,  sometimes  a  negro 
driver;  but  here,  I  found  that  he  was  elevated  to  the 
rank  of  merchant,  and  a  merchant  of  the  first  order 
too  ;  for  it  was  very  clear  that  in  the  opinion  of  the 
landlord,  no  branch  of  trade  was  more  honorable  than 
the  traffic  in  us  poor  slaves.  Our  master  observed 
that  he  had  a  mind  to  remain  here  a  short  time,  and 
try  what  kind  of  market  Columbia  would  present,  for 
the  sale  of  his  lot  of  servants  ;  and  that  he  would 
make  his  house  his  home,  until  he  had  ascertained 
what  could  be  done  in  town,  and  what  demand  t"4cio 
was  in  the  neighborhood  for  servants.  We  were  not 
called  slaves  by  these  men,  who  talked  of  selling  us, 
and  of  the  price  we  would  bring,  with  as  little  com 
punction  of  conscience  as  they  would  have  talked  >«f 
the  sale  of  so  many  mules. 


54  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

It  is  the  custom  throughout  all  the  slave-holding 
States,  amongst  people  of  fashion,  never  to  speak  of 
their  negroes  as  slaves,  but  always  as  servants  ;  but 
I  had  never  before  met  with  the  keeper  of  a  public 
house,  in  the  country,  who  had  arrived  at  this  degree 
of  refinement.  I  had  been  accustomed  to  hear  this 
order  of  men,  and  indeed  the  greater  number  of  white 
people  speak  of  the  people  of  color  as  niggers. 

We  remained  at  this  place  more  than  two  weeks  ; 
1  presume  because  my  master  found  it  cheaper  to  keep 
us  here  than  in  town,  or  perhaps,  because  he  supposed 
we  might  recover  from  the  hardships  of  our  journey 
more  speedily  in  the  country. 

As  it  was  here  that  my  real  acquaintance  with 
South  Carolina  commenced,  I  have  noted  with  more 
particularity  the  incidents  that  occurred,  than  I  other 
wise  should  have  done.  This  family  was  composed 
of  the  husband,  wife,  three  daughters,  all  young  wo 
men,  and  two  sons,  one  of  whom  appeared  to  be  about 
twenty,  and  the  other,  perhaps  seventeen  years  old. 
They  had  nine  slaves  in  all,  one  very  old  man,  quite 
crooked  with  years  and  labor — two  men  of  middle  age 
— one  lad,  perhaps  sixteen — one  woman  with  three 
children,  the  oldest  about  seven, — and  a  young  girl 
of  twelve  or  fourteen.  The  farm,  or  plantation,  they 
lived  on,  contained  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  cleared  land,  sandy,  and  the  greater  part  of 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  55 

it  poor,  as  was  proved  by  the  stinted  growth  of  the 
cotton. 

At  the  time  of  our  arrival  at  this  house,  I  saw  no 
persons  about  it,  except  the  four  ladies — the  mother 
and  her  three  daughters — the  husband  being  in  the 
field,  as  noticed  above.  According  to  the  orders  of 
my  master,  I  had  taken  the  saddle  from  his  horse  and 
put  him  in  a  stable  ;  and  it  was  not  until  after  the 
first  salutations  of  the  new  landlord  to  my  master 
were  over,  that  he  seemed  to  think  of  asking  him 
whether  he  had  come  on  foot,  on  horse-back,  or  in  a 
coach.  He  at  length,  however,  turned  suddenly  and 
asked  him,  with  an  air  of  surprise,  where  he  had  left 
his  horses  and  carriage.  My  master  said  he  had  no 
carriage,  that  he  traveled  on  horse-back,  and  that  his 
horse  was  in  the  stable.  The  landlord  then  apolo 
gized  for  the  trouble  he  must  have  had,  in  having  his 
horse  put  away  himself ;  and  said  that  at  this  season 
of  the  year,  the  planters  were  so  hurried  by  their  crops, 
and  found  so  much  difficulty  in  keeping  down  the 
grass,  that  they  were  generally  obliged  to  keep  all 
their  servants  in  the  field  ;  that  for  his  part,  he  had 
been  compelled  to  put  his  coachman,  and  even  the 
waiting-maids  of  his  daughters  into  the  cotton-fields, 
and  that  at  this  time,  his  family  were  without  servants, 
a  circumstance  that  had  never  happened  before  ! 
"  For  my  part,"  said  he,  "  I  have  always  prided  my- 


56  Fifty  Years  in  Chains]  or, 

self  on  bringing  up  my  family  well,  and  can  say,  that 
although  I  do  not  live  in  so  fine  a  house  as  some  of 
the  other  planters  of  Carolina,  yet  my  children  are  as 
great  ladies  and  gentlemen  as  any  in  the  state.  Not 
one  of  them  has  ever  had  to  do  a  day's  work  yet,  and 
as  long  as  I  live,  never  shall.  I  sent  two  of  my  daugh 
ters  to  Charleston  last  summer,  and  they  were  there 
three  months  ;  and  I  intend  to  send  the  youngest  there 
this  summer.  They  have  all  learned  to  dance  here  in 
Columbia,  where  I  sent  them  two  quarters  to  a  French 
man,  and  he  made  me  pay  pretty  well  for  it.  They 
went  to  the  same  dancing  school  with  the  daughters 
of  Wade  Hampton  and  Colonel  Fitzhugh.  I  am  de 
termined  that  they  shall  never  marry  any  but  gentle 
men  of  the  first  character,  and  I  know  they  will  always 
follow  my  advice  in  matters  of  this  kind.  They  are 
prudent  and  sensible  girls,  and  are  not  going  to  do  as 
Major  Pollack's  daughter  did  this  spring,  who  ran  away 
with  a  Georgia  cracker,  who  brought  a  drove  of  cattle 
for  sale  from  the  Indian  country,  and  who  had  not  a 
nigger  in  the  world.  He  staid  with  me  sometime, 
and  wished  to  have  something  to  say  to  my  second 
daughter,  but  the  thing  would  not  do." 

Here  he  stopped  short  in  his  narrative,  and  seeming 
to  muse  a  moment,  said  to  his  guest,  "  I  presume,  as 
you  travel  alone,  you  have  no  family."  "  No,"  re 
plied  my  master,  "  I  am  a  single  man."  "  I  thought 


Tlie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  57 

so  by  your  appearance,"  said  the  loquacious  landlord, 
"  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  introduce  you  to  my  family 
this  evening.  My  sons  are  two  as  fine  fellows  as  there 
are  in  all  CaroKna.  My  oldest  boy  is  lieutenant  in 
the  militia,  and  in  the  same  company  that  marched 
with  Gen.  Marion  in  the  war.  He  was  on  the  point 
of  fighting  a  duel  last  winter,  with  young  M'Corkle  in 
Columbia  ;  but  the  matter  was  settled  between  them. 
You  will  see  him  this  evening,  when  he  returns  from 
the  quoit-party.  A  quoit-party  of  young  bucks  meet 
once  every  week  about  two  miles  from  this,  and  as  I 
wish  my  sons  to  keep  the  best  company,  they  both  at 
tend  it.  There  is  to  be  a  cock-fight  there  this  after 
noon,  and  my  youngest  son,  Edmund,  has  the  finest 
cock  in  this  country.  He  is  one  of  the  true  game 
blood, — the  real  Dominica  game  breed  ;  and  I  sent  to 
Charleston  for  his  gaffs.  There  is  a  bet  of  ten  dollars 
a  side  between  my  son's  cock  and  the  one  belonging 
to  young  Blainey,  the  son  of  Major  Blainey.  Young 
Blainey  is  a  hot-headed  young  blood,  and  has  been 
concerned  in  three  duels,  though  I  believe  he  never 
fought  but  one  ;  but  I  know  Edmund  will  not  take  a 
word  from  him,  and  it  will  be  well  if  he  and  his  cock 
do  not  both  get  well  licked." 

Here  the  conversation  was  arrested  by  the  sound  of 
horses'  feet  on  the  road,  and  in  the  next  instant,  two 

young  men  rode  up  at  a  gallop,  mounted  on  lean  look- 

3* 


58  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

ing  horses ;  one  of  the  riders  carrying  a  pole  on  his 
shoulder,  with  a  game  cock  in  a  net  bag,  tied  to  one 
end  of  it.  On  perceiving  them  the  landlord  exclaimed 
with  an  oath,  "  There's  two  lads  of  spirit !  stranger — 
and  if  you  will  allow  me  the  liberty  of  asking  you 
your  name,  I  will  introduce  you  to  them."  At  the 
suggestion  of  his  name,  my  master  seemed  to  hesitate 
a  little,  but  after  a  moment's  pause,  said,  "  They  call 
me  M'Giffin,  sir."  "My  name  is  Hulig,  sir,"  replied 
the  landlord,  "  and  I  am  very  happy  to  be  acquainted 
with  you,  Mr.  M'Griffin,"  at  the  same  time  shaking  him 
by  the  hand,  and  introducing  his  two  sons,  who  were 
by  this  time  at  the  door. 

This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  heard  the  name 
of  my  master,  although  I  had  been  with  him  five 
weeks.  I  had  never  seen  him  before  the  day  on  which 
lie  seized  and  bound  me  in  Maryland,  and  as  he  took 
me  away  immediately,  I  did  not  hear  his  name  at  the 
time.  The  people  who  assisted  to  fetter  me,  either 
from  accident  or  design,  omitted  to  name  him,  and 
after  we  commenced  our  journey,  he  had  maintained 
so  much  distant  reserve  and  austerity  of  manner  to 
wards  us  all,  that  no  one  ventured  to  ask  him  his 
name.  We  had  called  him  nothing  but  "  master," 
and  the  various  persons  at  whose  houses  we  had  stop 
ped  on  our  way,  knew  as  little  of  his  name  as  we  did. 
We  had  freauently  been  a^ked  the  name  of  our  master, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  59 


«snd  perhaps  had  not  always  obtained  credence,  when 
we  said  we  did  not  know  it. 

Throughout  the  whole  journey,  until  after  we  were 
released  from  our  irons,  he  had  forbidden  us  to  con 
verse  together  beyond  a  few  words  in  relation  to  our 
temporary  condition  and  wants  ;  and  as  he  was  with 
us  all  day,  and  never  slept  out  of  hearing  of  us  at 
night,  he  rigidly  enforced  his  edict  of  silence.  I  pre 
sume  that  the  reason  of  this  prohibition  of  all  conver 
sation  was  to  prevent  us  from  devising  plans  of  escape  ; 
but  he  had  imposed  as  rigid  a  silence  on  himself 
as  was  enforced  upon  us  ;  and  after  having  passed 
from  Maryland  to  South  Carolina,  in  his  company,  I 
knew  no  more  of  my  master,  than,  that  he  knew  how 
to  keep  his  secrets,  guard  his  slaves,  and  make  a  close 
bargain.  I  had  never  heard  him  speak  of  his  home  or 
family  ;  and  therefore  had  concluded  that  he  was  an 
unmarried  man,  and  an  adventurer,  who  felt  no  more 
attachment  for  one  place  than  another,  and  whose 
residence  was  not  very  well  settled  ;  but,  from  the 
large  sums  of  money  which  he  must  have  been  able  to 
command  and  carry  with  him  to  the  North,  to  enable 
him  to  purchase  so  large  a  number  of  slaves,  I  had  no 
doubt  that  he  was  a  man  of  consequence  and  considera 
tion  in  the  place  from  whence  he  came. 

In  Maryland,  I  had  always  observed  that  men,  who 
were  the  owners  of  large  stocks  of  negroes,  were  not 


60  Fifty  Years  in  OJiains  ;  or, 

averse  to  having  publicity  given  to  their  names  ;  and 
that  the  possession  of  this  species  of  property  even 
there,  gave  its  owner  more  vanity  and  egotism,  than 
fell  to  the  lot  of  the  holders  of  any  other  kind  of 
estate  ;  and  in  truth,  my  subsequent  experience  proved 
that  without  the  possession  of  slaves,  no  man  could 
ever  arrive  at,  or  hope  to  rise  to  any  honorable  station 
in  society  ; — yet,  my  master  seemed  to  take  no  pride 
in  having  at  his  disposal  the  lives  of  so  many  human 
beings.  He  never  spoke  to  us  in  words  of  either  pity 
or  hatred  ;  and  never  spoke  of  us,  except  to  order  us 
to  be  fed  or  watered,  as  he  would  have  directed  the 
same  offices  to  be  performed  for  so  many  horses,  or  to 
inquire  where  the  best  prices  could  be  obtained  for  us. 
He  regarded  us  only  as  objects  of  traffic  and  the  ma 
terials  of  his  commerce  ;  and  although  he  had  lived 
several  years  in  Carolina  and  Georgia,  and  had  there 
exercised  the  profession  of  an  overseer,  he  regarded 
the  Southern  planters  as  no  less  the  subjects  of  trade 
and  speculation  than  the  slaves  he  sold  to  them  ;  as 
will  appear  in  the  sequel.  It  was  to  this  man  that 
the  landlord  introduced  his  two  sons,  and  upon  whom 
he  was  endeavoring  to  impose  a  belief,  that  he  was 
the  head  of  a  family  which  took  rank  with  those  of 
the  first  planters  of  the  district.  The  ladies  of  the 
household,  though  I  had  seen  them  in  the  kitchen 
when  I  walked  round  the  house,  had  not  yet  present- 


The  Life  of  in  American  Slave  61 

ed  themselves  to  my  master,  nor  inched  were  they  in 
a  condition  to  be  seen  anywhere  but  in  the  apartment 
they  occupied  at  the  time.  The  young  gentlemen  gave  a 
very  gasconading  account  of  the  quoit-party  and  cock 
fight,  from  which  they  had  just  returned,  and  accord 
ing  to  their  version  of  the  affair,  it  might  have  been 
an  assemblage  of  at  least  half  the  military  officers  of 
the  state  ;  for  all  the  persons  of  whom  they  spoke, 
were  captains,  majors  and  colonels.  The  eldest  said, 
he  had  won  two  bowls  of  punch  at  quoits  ;  and  the 
youngest,  whose  cock  had  been  victor  in  the  battle,  on 
which  ten  dollars  were  staked,  vaunted  much  of  the 
qualities  of  his  bird  ;  and  supported  his  veracity  by 
numerous  oaths,  and  reiterated  appeals  to  his  brother 
for  the  truth  of  his  assertions.  Both  these  young 
men  were  so  much  intoxicated  that  they  with  difficult} 
maintained  an  erect  posture  in  walking. 

By  this  time  the  sun  was  going  down,  and  I  ob 
served  two  female  slaves,  a  woman  and  girl,  approach 
ing  the  house  on  the  side  of  the  kitchen  from  the  cot 
ton-field.  They  were  coming  home  to  prepare  suppei 
for  the  family ;  the  ladies  whom  I  had  seen  in  the 
kitchen  not  having  been  there  for  the  purpose  of  per 
forming  the  duties  appropriate  to  that  station,  but 
having  sought  it  as  a  place  of  refuge  from  the  sight  of 
my  master,  who  had  approached  the  front  of  their 
dwelling  silently,  and  so  suddenly  as  not  to  permit 

•  a 


62  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


them  to  gain  tho  foot  of  the  stairway  in  the  large 
front  room,  without  being  seen  by  him,  to  whose  view 
they  by  no  means  wished  to  expose  themselves  before 
they  had  visited  their  toilets.  About  dark  the  supper 
was  ready  in  the  large  room,  and,  as  it  had  two  fronts, 
one  of  which  looked  into  the  yard  where  my  compan 
ions  and  I  had  been  permitted  to  seat  ourselves,  and 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing,  by  the  light  of  the  can 
dle,  all  that  was  done  within,  and  of  hearing  all  that 
was  said.  The  ladies,  four  in  number,  had  entered 
the  room  before  the  gentlemen  ;  and  when  the  latter 
came  in  my  master  was  introduced,  by  the  landlord  to 
his  wife  and  daughters,  by  the  name  and  title  of 
Colonel  H'Giffin,  which,  at  that  time,  impressed  me 
with  a  belief  that  he  was  really  an  officer,  and  that  he 
had  disclosed  this  circumstance  without  my  knowledge ; 
but  I  afterwards  perceived  that  in  the  south  it  is  deem 
ed  respectful  to  address  a  stranger  by  the  title  of 
Colonel,  or  Major,  or  General,  if  his  appearance  will 
warrant  the  association  of  so  high  a  rank  with  his  name. 
My  master  had  declared  his  intention  of  becoming  the 
inmate  of  this  family  for  some  time,  and  no  pains 
seemed  to  be  spared  on  their  part  to  impress  upon  his 
mind  the  high  opinion  that  they  entertained  of  the 
dignity  of  the  owner  of  fifty  slaves  ;  the  possession  of 
so  large  a  number  of  human  creatures  being,  in  Caro 
lina,  a  certificate  of  character,  which  entitles  its  bearer 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  63 

lo  enter  whatever  society  he  may  choose  to  select,  with 
out  any  thing  more  being  known  of  his  birth,  his  life 
or  reputation.  The  man  who  owns  fifty  servants  must 
needs  be  a  gentleman  amongst  the  higher  ranks,  and 
the  owner  of  half  a  hundred  niggers  is  a  sort  of  noble 
man  amongst  the  low,  the  ignorant,  and  the  vulgar. 
The  mother  and  three  daughters,  whose  appearance, 
when  I  saw  them  in  the  kitchen,  would  have  warranted 
the  conclusion  that  they  had  just  risen  from  bed  with 
out  having  time  to  adjust  their  dress,  were  now  gaily, 
if  not  neatly  attired  ;  and  the  two  female  slaves,  who 
had  come  from  the  field  at  sundown  to  cook  the  sup 
per,  now  waited  at  the  table.  The  landlord  talked 
much  of  his  crops,  his  plantation  and  slaves,  and  of 
the  distinguished  families  who  exchanged  visits  with 
his  own  ;  but  my  master  took  very  little  part  in  i^ie 
conversation  of  the  evening,  and  appeared  disposed  to 
maintain  the  air  of  mystery  which  had  hitherto  invest 
ed  his  character. 

After  it  was  quite  dark,  the  slaves  came  in  from  the 
cotton-field,  and  taking  little  notice  of  us,  went  into 
the  kitchen,  and  each  taking  thence  a  pint  of  corn, 
proceeded  to  a  little  mill,  which  was  nailed  to  a  post 
in  the  yard,  and  there  commenced  the  operation  of 
grinding  meal  for  their  suppers,  which  were  afterwards 
to  be  prepared  by  baking  the  meal  into  cakes  at  the 
fire.  The  woman  who  was  the  mother  of  the  three 


64  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

small  children,  was  permitted  to  grind  her  allowance  of 
corn  first,  and  after  her  came  the  old  man,  and  the 
others  in  succession.  After  the  corn  was  converted 
into  meal,  each  one  kneaded  it  up  with  cold  water  into 
a  thick  dough,  and  raking  away  the  ashes  from  a  small 
space  on  the  kitchen  hearth,  placed  the  dough,  rolled 
up  in  green  leaves,  in  the  hollow,  and  covering  it  with 
hot  embers,  left  it  to  be  baked  into  bread,  which  was 
done  in  about  half  an  hour.  These  loaves  constituted 
the  only  supper  of  the  slaves  belonging  to  this  family 
for  I  observed  that  the  two  women  who  had  waited  at 
the  table,  after  the  supper  of  the  white  people  was  dis 
posed  of,  also  came  with  their  corn  to  the  mill  on  the 
post  and  ground  their  allowance  like  the  others.  They 
had  not  been  permitted  to  taste  even  the  fragments  of 
the  meal  that  they  had  cooked  for  their  masters  and 
mistresses.  It  was  eleven  o'clock  before  these  people 
had  finished  their  supper  of  cakes,  and  several  of  them, 
especially  the  younger  of  the  two  lads,  were  so  over 
powered  with  toil  and  sleep,  that  they  had  to  be  roused 
from  their  slumbers  when  their  cakes  were  done,  to 
devour  them. 

We  had  for  our  supper  to-night,  a  pint  of  boiled 
rice  to  each  person,  and  a  small  quantity  of  stale  and 
very  rancid  butter,  from  the  bottom  of  an  old  keg,  or 
firkin,  which  contained  about  two  pounds,  the  remnant 
of  that  which  once  filled  it.  We  boiled  the  rice  our- 


The  Life  of  .in  American  Slave.  65 

selves,  in  a  large  iron  kettle  ;  and,  as  our  master  now 
informed  us  that  we  were  to  remain  here  some  time, 
many  of  us  determined  to  avail  ourselves  of  this  sea 
son  of  respite  from  our  toils,  to  wash  our  clothes,  and 
free  our  persons  from  the  vermin  which  had  appeared 
amongst  our  party  several  weeks  before,  and  now  be 
gun  to  be  extremely  tormenting.  As  we  were  not 
allowed  any  soap,  we  were  obliged  to  resort  to  the  use 
of  a  very  fine  and  unctuous  kind  of  clay,  resembling 
fullers'  earth,  but  of  a  yellow  color,  which  was  found 
on  the  margin  of  a  small  swamp  near  the  house.  This 
was  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever  heard  of  clay  being 
used  for  the  purpose  of  washing  clothes  ;  but  I  often 
availed  myself  of  this  resource  afterwards,  whilst  I  was 
a  slave  in  the  south.  We  wet  our  clothes,  then  rub 
bed  this  clay  all  over  the  garments,  and  by  scouring 
it  out  in  warm  water  with  our  hands,  the  cloth,  whether 
of  woollen,  or  cotton,  or  linen  texture,  was  entirely 
clean.  We  subjected  our  persons  to  the  same  process, 
and  in  this  way  freed  our  camp  from  the  host  of  enemies 
that  had  been  generated  in  the  course  of  our  journey. 
This  washing  consumed  the  whole  of  the  first  day 
of  our  residence  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Hulig. 
We  all  lay  the  first  night  in  a  shed,  or  summer  kitchen, 
standing  behind  the  house,  and  a  few  yards  from  it  a 
place  in  which  the  slaves  of  the  plantation  washed 
their  clothes,  and  passed  their  Sundays  in  warm  weath- 


66  Fifty   Years  in  Cha'.ns  ;  or, 

er,  when  they  did  not  work ;  but  as  this  place  was 
quite  too  small  to  accommodate  our  party,  or  indeed 
to  contain  us,  without  crowding  us  together  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  endanger  our  health,  we  were  removed, 
the  morning  after  our  arrival,  to  an  old  decayed  frame 
building,  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  house, 
which  had  been  erected,  as  I  learned,  for  a  cotton-gin, 
but  into  which  its  possessor,  for  want  of  means  I  pre 
sume,  had  never  introduced  the  machinery  of  the  gin. 
This  building  was  near  forty  feet  square  ;  was  without 
any  other  floor  than  the  earth,  and  neither  doors  nor 
windows,  to  close  the  openings  which  had  been  left  for 
the  admission  of  those  who  entered  it.  We  were  told 
that  in  this  place  the  cotton  of  the  plantation  was  de 
posited  in  the  picking  season,  as  it  was  brought  from 
the  field,  until  it  could  be  removed  to  a  neighboring 
plantation,  where  there  was  a  gin  to  divest  it  of  its 
seeds. 

Here  we  took  our  temporary  abode — men  and  wo 
men,  promiscuously.  Our  provisions,  whilst  we  re 
mained  here,  were  regularly  distributed  to  us  ;  and 
our  daily  allowance  to  each  person,  consisted  of  a  pint 
of  corn,  a  pint  of  rice,  and  about  three  or  four  pounds 
of  butter,  such  as  we  had  received  on  the  night  of  our 
arrival,  divided  amongst  us,  in  small  pieces  from  the 
point  of  a  table  knife.  The  rice  we  boiled  in  the  iron 
kettle — we  ground  our  corn  at  the  little  mill  on  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.      .       67 

post  in  die  kitchen,  and  converted  the  meal  into  bread, 
in  the  manner  we  had  been  accustomed  to  at  home — 
sometimes  on  the  hearth,  and  sometimes  before  the  fire 
on  a  hoe.  The  butter  was  given  us  as  an  extraordi 
nary  ration,  to  strengthen  and  recruit  us  after  our  long 
inarch,  and  give  us  a  healthy  and  expert  appearance 
at  the  time  of  our  future  sale. 

We  had  no  beds  of  any  kind  to  sleep  on,  but  each 
one  was  provided  with  a  blanket,  which  had  been  the 
companion  of  our  travels.  We  were  left  entirely  at 
liberty  to  go  out  or  in  when  we  pleased,  and  no  watch 
was  kept  over  us  either  by  night  or  day. 

Our  master  had  removed  us  so  for  from  our  native 
country,  that  he  supposed  it  impossible  for  any  of  us 
ever  to  escape  from  him,  and  surmount  all  the  obstacles 
that  lay  between  us  and  our  former  homes.  He  went 
away  immediately  after  we  were  established  in  our  new 
lodgings,  and  remained  absent  until  the  second  even 
ing  about  sundown,  when  he  returned,  came  into  our 
shed,  sat  down  on  a  block  of  wood  in  the  midst  of  us, 
and  asked  if  any  one  had  been  sick  ;  if  we  had  got  our 
clothes  clean  ;  and  if  we  had  been  supplied  with  an 
allowance  of  rice,  corn  and  butter.  After  satisfying 
himself  upon  these  points,  he  told  us  that  we  were 
now  at  liberty  to  run  away  if  we  chose  to  do  so  ;  but 
if  we  made  the  attempt  we  should  most  certainly  be 
•e-taken,  and  subjected  to  the  most  terrible  punish- 


68  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

ment.  "  I  never  flog,"  said  he,  "  my  practice  is  to 
cat-haul;  and  if  you  run  away,  and  I  catch  you 
again — as  I  surely  shall  do — and  give  you  one  cat- 
hauling,  you  will  never  run  away  again,  nor  attempt 
it."  I  did  not  then  understand  the  import  of  cat- 
hauling,  but  in  after  times,  became  well  acquainted 
with  its  signification. 

We  remained  in  this  place  nearly  two  weeks,  during 
which  time  our  allowance  of  food  was  not  varied,  and 
was  regularly  given  to  us.  We  were  not  required  to 
do  any  work  ;  and  I  had  liberty  and  leisure  to  walk 
about  the  plantation,  and  make  such  observations  as  I 
could  upon  the  new  state  of  things  around  me.  Gen 
tlemen  and  ladies  came  every  day  to  look  at  us,  with 
a  view  of  becoming  our  purchasers  ;  and  we  were  ex 
amined  with  minute  care  as  to  our  ages,  former  occupa 
tions,  and  capacity  of  performing  labor.  Our  persons 
were  inspected,  and  more  especially  the  hands  were 
scrutinized,  to  see  if  all  the  fingers  were  perfect,  and 
capable  of  the  quick  motions  necessary  in  picking  cot 
ton.  Our  master  only  visited  us  once  a  day,  and 
sometimes  he  remained  absent  two  days  ;  so  that  he 
seldom  met  any  of  those  who  came  to  see  us  ;  but, 
whenever  it  so  happened  that  he  did  meet  them,  he 
laid  aside  his  silence  and  became  very  talkative,  and 
even  animated  in  his  conversation,  extolling  our  good 
qualities,  and  averring  that  he  had  purchased  some  of 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  69 

«is  of  one  colonel,  and  others  of  another  general  in 
Virginia  ;  that  he  could  by  no  means  have  procured  us, 
had  it  not  been  that,  in  some  instances,  our  masters 
had  ruined  themselves,  and  were  obliged  to  sell  us  to 
save  their  families  from  ruin  ;  and  in  others,  that  our 
owners  were  dead,  their  estates  deeply  in  debt,  and  we 
had  been  sold  at  public  sale  ;  by  which  means  he  had 
become  possessed  of  us.  He  said  our  habits  were  unex 
ceptionable,  our  characters  good;  that  there  was  not  one 
among  us  all  who  had  ever  been  known  to  run  away, 
or  steal  any  thing  from  our  former  masters.  I  observed 
that  running  away,  and  stealing  from  his  master,  were 
regarded  as  the  highest  crimes  of  which  a  slave  could 
be  guilty  ;  but  I  heard  no  questions  asked  concerning 
our  propensity  to  steal  from  other  people  besides  our 
masters,  and  I  afterwards  learned,  that  this  was  not 
always  regarded  as  a  very  high  crime  by  the  owner  of 
a  slave,  provided  he  would  perpetrate  the  theft  so 
adroitly  as  not  to  be  detected  in  it. 

We  were  severally  asked  by  our  visitors,  if  we  would 
be  willing  to  live  with  them,  if  they  would  purchase 
us,  to  which  we  generally  replied  in  the  affirmative  ; 
but  our  owner  declined  all  the  offers  that  were  made 
for  us,  upon  the  ground  that  we  were  too  pooi 
— looked  too  bad  to  be  sold  at  present — and  that  in 
our  condition  he  could  not  expect  to  get  a  fair  value 
for  us. 


70  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

One  evening,  when  our  master  was  with  us,  a  thin, 
sallow-looking  man  rode  up  to  the  house,  and  alight 
ing  from  his  horse,  came  to  us,  and  told  him  that  he 
had  come  to  buy  a  boy  ;  that  he  wished  to  get  a  good 
field  hand,  and  would  pay  a  good  price  for  him.  I 
never  saw  a  human  countenance  that  expressed  more 
of  the  evil  passions  of  the  heart  than  did  that  of  this 
man,  and  his  conversation  corresponded  with  his  phy 
siognomy.  Every  sentence  of  his  language  was  ac 
companied  with  an  oath  of  the  most  vulgar  profanity, 
and  his  eyes  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  index  of  a  soul 
as  cruel  as  his  visage  was  disgusting  and  repulsive. 

After  looking  at  us  for  some  time,  this  wretch  sin 
gled  me  out  as  the  object  of  his  choice,  and  coming 
up  to  me,  asked  me  how  I  would  like  him  for  a  master. 
In  my  heart  I  detested  him ;  but  a  slave  is  often 
afraid  to  speak  the  truth,  and  divulge  all  he  feels  ;  so 
with  myself  in  this  instance,  as  it  was  doubtful  whether 
I  might  not  fall  into  his  hands,  and  be  subject  to  the 
violence  of  his  temper,  I  told  him  that  if  he  was  a 
good  master,  as  every  gentleman  ought  to  be,  I  should 
be  willing  to  live  with  him.  He  appeared  satisfied 
with  my  answer,  and  turning  to  my  master,  said  he 
would  give  a  high  price  for  me.  "  I  can,"  said  he, 
"  by  going  to  Charleston,  buy  as  many  Guinea  negroes 
as  I  please  for  two  hundred  dollars  each,  but  as  I  like 
this  fellow,  I  will  give  you  four  hundred  foi-  him." 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  71 

This  offer  struck  terror  into  my  heart,  for  I  knew  it 
was  as  much  as  was  generally  given  for  the  best  and 
ablest  slaves,  and  I  expected  that  it  would  imme 
diately  be  accepted  as  my  price,  and  that  I  should  be 
at  once  consigned  to  the  hands  of  this  man,  of  whom 
I  had  formed  so  abhorrent  an  opinion.  To  my  sur 
prise  and  satisfaction,  however,  my  master  made  no 
reply  to  the  proposition ;  but  stood  for  a  moment,  with 
one  hand  raised  to  his  face  and  his  fore-finger  on  his 
nose,  and  then  turning  suddenly  to  me,  said,  "  Go  into 
the  house  ;  I  shall  not  sell  you  to-day."  It  was  my 
business  to  obey  the  order  of  departure,  and  as  I  went 
beyond  the  sound  of  their  voices,  I  could  not  under 
stand  the  purport  of  the  conversation  which  followed 
between  these  two  traffickers  in  human  blood  ;  but 
after  a  parley  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the 
hated  stranger  started  abruptly  away,  and  going  to 
the  road,  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  off  at  a  gallop, 
banishing  himself  and  my  fears  together. 

I  did  not  see  my  master  again  this  evening,  and 
when  I  came  out  of  our  barracks  in  the  morning",  al 
though  it  was  scarcely  daylight,  I  saw  him  standing 
near  one  corner  of  the  building,  with  his  head  inclined 
towards  the  wall,  evidently  listening  to  catch  any 
sounds  within.  He  ordered  me  to  go  and  feed  his 
horse,  and  have  him  saddled  for  him  by  sunrise. 
About  an  hour  afterwards  he  came  to  the  stable  in  his 


72  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

riding  dress  ;  and  told  me  that  he  should  remove  us 
all  to  Columbia  in  a  few  days.  He  then  rode  tiway, 
and  did  not  return  until  the  third  day  afterwards. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  73 


CHAPTER    IV. 


IT  was  now  about  the  middle  of  June,  the  weather 
excessively  warm,  and  from  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M.,  un 
til  late  in  the  afternoon,  the  sand  about  our  residence 
was  so  hot  that  we  could  not  stand  on  it  with  our 
bare  feet  in  one  posture,  more  than  one  or  two  min 
utes.  The  whole  country,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  ap 
peared  to  be  a  dead  plain,  without  the  least  variety  of 
either  hill  or  dale.  The  pine  was  so  far  the  predomi 
nating  timber  of  the  forest,  that  at  a  little  distance 
the  entire  woods  appeared  to  be  composed  of  this  tree. 

I  had  become  weary  of  being  confined  to  the  imme 
diate  vicinity  of  our  lodgings,  and  determined  to  ven 
ture  out  into  the  fields  of  the  plantation,  and  see  the 
manner  of  cultivating  cotton.  Accordingly,  after  I 
had  made  my  morning  meal  upon  corn  cakes,  I  sallied 
out  in  the  direction  which  I  had  seen  the  slaves  of  the 
plantation  take  at  the  time  they  left  the  house  at  day 
light,  and  following  a  path  through  a  small  field  of 
corn,  which  was  so  tall  as  to  prevent  me  from  seeing 


Fifty  Years  in  Chains  /  or, 


beyond  it,  I  soon  arrived  at  the  field  in  which  the  peo 
ple  were  at  work  with  hoes  amongst  the  cotton,  which 
was  about  two  feet  and  a  half  high,  and  had  formed 
such  long  branches,  that  they  could  no  longer  plough 
in  it  without  breaking  it.  Expecting  to  pass  the  re 
mainder  of  my  life  in  this  kind  of  labor,  I  felt  anxious 
to  know  the  evils,  if  any,  attending  it,  and  more  espe 
cially  the  manner  in  which  the  slaves  were  treated  on 
the  cotton  estates. 

The  people  now  before  me,  were  all  diligently  and 
laboriously  weeding  and  hilling  the  cotton  with  hoes, 
and  when  I  approached  them,  they  scarcely  took  time 
to  speak  to  me,  but  continued  their  labor  as  if  I  had 
not  been  present.  As  there  did  not  appear  to  be  any 
overseer  with  them,  I  thought  I  would  go  amongst 
them,  and  enter  into  conversation  with  them  ;  but 
upon  addressing  myself  to  one  of  the  men,  and  telling 
him,  if  it  was  not  disagreeable  to  him,  I  should  be 
glad  to  become  acquainted  with  him,  he  said  he  should 
be  glad  to  be  acquainted  with  me,  but  master  Tom 
did  not  allow  him  to  talk  much  to  people  when  he 
was  at  work.  I  asked  him  wheie  his  master  Tom 
was  ;  but  before  he  had  time  to  reply,  same  one  call 
ed  —  "  Mind  your  work  there,  you  rascals/'  Looking 
in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  I  saw  master  Torn,  sit 
ting  under  the  shade  of  a  sassafras  tree,  at  the  dis 
tance  of  about  a  hundred  yards  from  us.  Deeming  it 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  75 

unsafe  to  continue  in  the  field  without  the  permission 
of  its  lord,  I  approached  the  sassafras  tree,  with  my 
hat  in  my  hand,  and  in  a  very  humble  manner,  asked 
leave  to  help  the  people  work  awhile,  as  I  was  tired 
of  staying  about  the  house  and  doing  nothing.  He 
said  he  did  not  care  ;  I  might  go  and  work  with  them 
awhile,  but  I  must  take  care  not  to  talk  too  much  and 
keep  his  hands  from  their  work. 

Now,  having  authority  on  my  side,  I  returned,  and 
taking  a  hoe  from  the  hands  of  a  small  girl,  told  her 
to  pull  up  weeds,  and  I  would  take  her  row  for  her. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  rows  which  we 
were  then  hilling,  master  Tom,  who  still  held  his  post 
under  the  sassafras  tree,  called  his  people  to  come  to 
breakfast.  Although  I  had  already  broken  my  fast,  I 
went  with  the  rest  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  what  theii 
breakfast  was  composed  of.  At  the  tree  I  saw  a  keg 
which  contained  about  five  gallons,  with  water  in  it, 
and  a  gourd  lying  by  it ;  near  this  was  a  basket  made 
of  splits,  large  enough  to  hold  more  than  a  peck.  It 
contained  the  breakfast  of  the  people,  covered  by  some 
green  leaves  of  the  magnolia,  or  great  bay  tree  of  the 
South.  When  the  leaves  were  removed,  I  found  that 
the  supply  of  provisions  consisted  of  one  cake  of  corn- 
meal,  weighing  about  half  a  pound,  for  each  person. 
This  bread  had  no  sort  of  seasoning,  not  even  salt,  and 
constituted  the  only  breakfast  of  these  poor  people, 


76  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

who  had  been  toiling  from  early  dawn  until  about 
eight  o'clock.  There  was  no  cake  for  me,  and  master 
Tom  did  not  say  anything  to  me  on  the  state  of  my 
stomach  ;  but  the  young  girl,  whose  hoe  I  had  taken 
in  the  field,  offered  me  a  part  of  her  cake,  which  I  re 
fused.  After  the  breakfast  was  despatched,  we  again 
returned  to  our  work  ;  but  the  master  ordered  the 
girl,  whose  hoe  I  had,  to  go  and  get  another  hoe  which 
lay  at  some  distance  in  the  field,  and  take  her  row 
again.  I  continued  in  the  field  until  dinner,  which 
took  place  about  one  o'clock,  and  was  the  same,  in  all 
respects,  as  the  breakfast  had  been. 

Master  Tom  was  the  younger  of  the  two  brothers 
who  returned  from  the  cock-fight  on  the  evening  of 
our  arrival  at  this  place, — he  left  the  field  about  ten 
o'clock,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  elder  brother,  as 
overseer  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  After  this 
change  of  superintendents,  my  companions  became 
more  loquacious,  and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  or  two, 
I  had  become  familiar  with  the  condition  of  my  fel 
low-laborers,  who  told  me  that  the  elder  of  their 
young  masters  was  much  less  tyrannical  than  his 
younger  brother  ;  and  that  whilst  the  former  remain 
ed  in  the  field  they  would  be  at  liberty  to  talk  as 
much  as  they  pleased,  provided  they  did  not  neglect 
their  work.  One  of  the  men  who  appeared  to  be  about 
forty  years  of  age,  and  who  was  the  foreman  of  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  77 

field,  told  me  that  lie  had  been  born  in  South  Caro 
lina,  and  had  always  lived  there,  though  he  had  only 
belonged  to  his  present  master  about  ten  years.  I 
asked  him  if  his  master  allowed  him  no  meat,  nor  any 
kind  of  provisions  except  bread  ;  to  which  he  replied 
that  they  never  had  any  meat  except  at  Christmas, 
when  each  hand  on  the  place  received  about  three 
pounds  of  pork  ;  that  from  September,  when  the  sweet 
potatoes  were  at  the  maturity  of  their  growth,  they 
had  an  allowance  of  potatoes  as  long  as  the  crop  held 
out,  which  was  generally  until  about  March  ;  but  that 
for  the  rest  of  the  year,  they  had  nothing  but  a  peck 
of  corn  a  week,  with  such  weeds  and  other  vegetables 
as  they  could  gather  from  the  fields  for  greens — that 
their  master  did  not  allow  them  any  salt,  and  that  the 
only  means  they  had  of  procuring  this  luxury,  was, 
by  working  on  Sundays  for  the  neighboring  planters, 
who  paid  them  in  money  at  the  rate  of  fifty  cents  per 
day,  with  which  they  purchased  salt  and  some  other 
articles  of  convenience. 

This  man  told  me  that  his  master  furnished  him 
with  two  shirts  of  tow  linen,  and  two  pair  of  trowsers, 
one  of  woollen  and  the  other  of  linen  cloth,  one  woollen 
jacket,  and  one  blanket  every  year.  That  he  re 
ceived  the  woollen  clothes  at  Christmas,  and  the  linen 
at  Easter ;  and  all  the  other  clothes,  if  he  had  any, 
he  was  obliged  to  provide  for  himself  by  working  on 


78  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

Sunday.  He  said,  that  for  several  years  past,  lie  had 
not  been  able  to  provide  any  clothes  for  himself ;  as 
he  had  a  wife  with  several  small  children,  on  an  ad 
joining  plantation,  whose  master  gave  only  one  suit 
of  clothes  in  the  year  to  the  mother,  and  none  of  any 
kind  to  the  children,  which  had  compelled  him  to  lay 
out  all  his  savings  in  providing  clothes  for  his  family, 
and  such  little  necessaries  as  were  called  for  by  his 
wife  from  time  to  time.  He  had  not  had  a  shoe  on 
his  foot  for  several  years,  but  in  winter  made  a  kind 
of  moccasin  for  himself  of  the  bark  of  a  tree,  which  he 
said  was  abundant  in  the  swamps,  and  could  be  so 
manufactured  as  to  make  good  ropes,  and  tolerable 
moccasins,  sufficient  at  least  to  defend  the  feet  from 
the  frost,  though  not  to  keep  them  dry. 

The  old  man  whom  I  have  alluded  to  before,  was 
in  the  field  with  the  others,  though  he  was  not  able 
to  keep  up  with  his  row.  He  had  no  clothes  on  him 
except  the  remains  of  an  old  shirt,  which  hung  in  tat 
ters  from  his  neck  and  arms  ;  the  two  young  girls 
had  nothing  on  them  but  petticoats,  made  of  coarse 
tow-cloth,  and  the  woman,  who  was  the  mother  of 
the  children,  wore  the  remains  of  a  tow-linen  shift, 
the  front  part  of  which  was  entirely  gone ;  but  a 
piece  of  old  cotton  bagging  tied  round  her  loins,  served 
the  purposes  of  an  apron  The  younger  of  the  two 
boys  was  entirely  naked 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  79 

The  man  who  was  foreman  of  the  field,  was  a  person 
of  good  sense  for  the  condition  of  life  in  which  fortune 
had  placed  him,  and  spoke  to  me  freely  of  his  hard 
lot.  I  observed  that  under  his  shirt,  which  was  very 
ragged,  he  wore  a  piece  of  fine  linen  cloth,  apparently 
part  of  an  old  shirt,  wrapped  closely  round  his  back, 
and  confined  in  front  by  strings,  tied  down  his  breast. 
I  asked  him  why  he  wore  that  piece  of  gentleman's 
linen  under  his  shirt,  and  shall  give  his  reply  in  his 
own  words  as  well  as  I  can  recollect  them,  at  a  dis 
tance  of  near  thirty  years. 

"  I  have  always  been  a  hard  working  man,  and  have 
suffered  a  great  deal  from  hunger  in  my  time.  It  is 
not  possible  for  a  man  to  work  hard  every  day  for 
several  months,  and  get  nothing  but  a  peck  of  com  a 
week  to  eat,  and  not  feel  hungry.  When  a  man  is 
hungry,  you  know,  (if  you  have  ever  been  hungry,)  he 
must  eat  whatever  he  can  get.  I  have  not  tasted 
meat  since  last  Christmas,  and  we  have  had  to  work 
uncommonly  hard  this  summer.  Master  has  a  flock 
of  sheep,  that  run  in  the  woods,  and  they  come  every 
night  to  sleep  in  the  lane  near  the  house.  Two  weeks 
ago  last  Saturday,  when  we  quit  work  at  night,  I  was 
very  hungry,  and  as  we  went  to  the  house  we  passed 
along  the  lane  where  the  sheep  lay.  There  were 
nearly  fifty  of  them,  and  some  were  very  fat.  The 
temptation  was  more  than  I  could  bear.  I  caught 


80  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

one  of  them,  cut  its  head  off  with  the  hoe  that  I  car 
ried  on  my  shoulder,  and  threw  it  under  the  fence. 
A-bout  midnight,  when  all  was  still  about  the  house, 
I  went  out  with  a  knife,  took  the  sheep  into  the  woods, 
And  dressed  it  by  the  light  of  the  moon.  The  carcass 
1  took  home,  and  after  cutting  it  up,  placed  it  in  the 
great  kettle  over  a  good  fire,  intending  to  boil  it  and 
divide  it,  when  cooked,  between  my  fellow- slaves 
(whom  I  knew  to  be  as  hungry  as  I  was)  and  myself. 
Unfortunately  for  me,  master  Tom,  who  had  been  out 
amongst  his  friends  that  day,  had  not  returned  at  bed 
time  ;  and  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  the 
time  when  I  had  a  blazing  fire  under  the  kettle,  I 
heard  the  sound  of  the  feet  of  a  horse  coming  along 
the  lane.  The  kitchen  walls  were  open  so  that  the 
light  of  my  fire  could  not  be  concealed,  and  in  a  mo 
ment  I  heard  the  horse  blowing  at  the  front  of  the 
house.  Conscious  of  my  danger,  I  stripped  my  shirt 
from  my  back,  and  pushed  it  into  the  boiling  kettle, 
BO  as  wholly  to  conceal  the  flesh  of  the  sheep.  I  had 
scarcely  completed  this  act  of  precaution,  when  master 
Tom  burst  into  the  kitchen,  and  with  a  terrible  oath, 
asked  me  what  I  was  doing  so  late  at  right,  with  a 
great  fire  in  the  kitchen.  I  replied,  '  I  am  going  to 
wash  my  shirt,  master,  and  am  boiling  it  to  get  it 
clean/  (  Washing  your  shirt  at  this  time  of  night !' 
said  he,  '  I  will  let  you  know  that  you  are  not  to  sit 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  81 

up  all  night  and  be  lazy  and  good  for  nothing  aL.  day. 
There  shall  be  no  boiling  of  shirts  here  on  Sunday 
morning/  and  thrusting  his  cane  into  the  kettle,  he 
raised  my  shirt  out  and  threw  it  on  the  kitchen  fluor. 
"  He  did  not  at  first  observe  the  mutton,  which  lose 
to  the  surface  of  the  water  as  soon  as  the  shirt  was 
removed  ;  but,  after  giving  the  shirt  a  kick  towards 
the  door,  he  again  turned  his  face  to  the  fire,  and  see 
ing  a  leg  standing  several  inches  out  of  the  pot,  he 
demanded  of  me  what  I  had  in  there  and  where  I  had 
got  this  meat  !  Finding  that  I  was  detected,  and 
that  the  whole  matter  must  be  discovered,  I  said, — 
c  Master,  I  am  hungry,  and  am  cooking  my  supper/ 
( What  is  it  you  have  in  here  ?'  c  A  sheep/  said  I,  and 
as  the  words  were  uttered,  he  knocked  me  down  with 
his  cane,  and  after  beating  me  severely,  ordered  me  to 
cross  my  hands  until  he  bound  me  fast  with  a  rope 
that  hung  in  the  kitchen,  and  answered  the  double 
purpose  of  a  clothes  line  and  a  cord  to  tie  us  with 
when  we  were  to  be  whipped.  He  put  out  the  fire 
under  the  kettle,  drew  me  into  the  yard,  tied  me  fast 
to  the  mill-post,  and  leaving  me  there  for  the  night, 
went  and  called  one  of  the  negro  boys  to  put  his  horse 
in  the  stable,  and  went  to  his  bed.  The  cord  was 
bound  so  tightly  round  my  wrists,  that  before  morn 
ing  the  blood  had  burst  out  under  my  finger  nails  ; 

but  I  suppose  my  master  slept  soundly  for  all  that. 

4* 


82  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  .r, 

I  was  afraid  to  call  any  one  to  come  and  release  me 
from  my  torment,  lest  a  still  more  terrible  piimsh- 
ment  might  overtake  me. 

"  I  was  permitted  to  remain  in  this  situation  until 
long  after  sunrise  the  next  morning,  which  being  Sun 
day,  was  quiet  and  still ;  my  fellow-slaves  being  per 
mitted  to  take  their  rest  after  the  severe  toil  of  the 
past  week,  and  my  old  master  and  two  young  ones 
having  no  occasion  to  rise  to  call  the  hands  to  the 
field,  did  not  think  of  interrupting  their  morning 
slumbers,  to  release  me  from  my  painful  confinement. 
However,  when  the  sun  was  risen  about  an  hour,  I 
heard  the  noise  of  persons  moving  in  the  great  house, 
and  soon  after  a  loud  and  boisterous  conversation, 
which  I  well  knew  portended  no  good  to  me.  At 
length  they  all  three  came  into  the  yard  where  I  lay 
lashed  to  the  post,  and  approaching  me,  my  old  mas 
ter  asked  me  if  I  had  any  accomplices  in  stealing  the 
sheep.  I  told  them  none — that,  it  was  entirely  my 
own  act — and  that  none  of  my  fellow-slaves  had  any 
hand  in  it.  This  was  the  truth  ;  but  if  any  of  my 
companions  had  been  concerned  with  me,  I  should 
not  have  betrayed  them  ;  for  such  an  act  of  treachery 
could  not  have  alleviated  the  dreadful  punishment 
which  I  knew  awaited  me,  and  would  only  have  in 
volved  them  in  the  same  misery. 

"  They  called  me  a  thief,  loaded  me  with  oaths  and 


The  Life  c/  an  American  Slave.  83 

imprecations,  and  eacn  one  proposed  the  punishment 
which  he  deemed  the  most  appropriate  to  the  enor 
mity  of  the  crime  that  I  had  committed.  Master 
Tom  was  of  opinion,  that  I  should  be  lashed  to  the 
post  at  the  foot  of  which  I  lay,  and  that  each  of  my 
fellow-slaves  should  be  compelled  to  give  me  a  dozen 
lashes  in  turn,  with  a  roasted  and  greased  hickory 
gad,  until  I  had  received,  in  the  whole,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  lashes  on  my  bare  back,  and  that  he  would 
stand  by,  with  the  whip  in  his  hand,  and  compel 
them  not  to  spare  me  ;  but  after  a  short  debate  this 
was  given  up,  as  it  would  probably  render  me  un 
able  to  work  in  the  field  again  for  several  weeks. 
My  master  Ned  was  in  favor  of  giving  me  a  dozen 
lashes  every  morning  for  a  month,  with  the  whip  ;  but 
my  old  master  said,  this  would  be  attended  with  too 
much  trouble,  and  besides,  it  would  keep  me  from  my 
work,  at  least  half  an  hour  every  morning,  and  propos 
ed,  in  his  turn,  that  I  should  not  be  whipped  at  all, 
but  that  the  carcass  of  the  sheep  should  be  taken  from 
the  kettle  in  its  half-boiled  condition,  and  hung  up  in 
the  kitchen  loft  without  salt ;  and  that  I  should  be 
compelled  to  subsist  on  this  putrid  mutton  without 
any  other  food,  until  it  should  be  consumed.  This 
suggestion  met  the  approbation  of  my  young  masters, 
and  would  have  been  adopted,  had  not  mistress  at  this 
moment  come  into  the  yard,  and  hearing  the  intended 


84  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  :r, 

punishment,  loudly  objected  to  it,  because  the  mutton 
would,  in  a  day  or  two,  create  such  an  offensive  stench, 
that  she  and  my  young  mistresses  would  not  be  able 
to  remain  in  the  house.  My  mistress  swore  dreadfully, 
and  cursed  me  for  an  ungrateful  sheep  thief,  who,  after 
all  her  kindness  in  giving  me  soup  and  warm  bread 
when  I  was  sick  last  winter,  was  always  stealing  every 
thing  I  could  get  hold  of.  She  then  said  to  my  mas 
ter,  that  such  villany  ought  not  to  be  passed  over  in  a 
slight  manner,  and  that  as  crimes,  such  as  this,  con 
cerned  the  whole  country,  my  punishment  ought  to  be 
public  for  the  purpose  of  example  ;  and  advised  him 
to  have  me  whipped  that  same  afternoon,  at  five 
o'clock  ;  first  giving  notice  to  the  neighborhood  to 
come  and  see  the  spectacle,  and  to  bring  with  them 
their  slaves,  that  they  might  be  witnesses  to  the  con 
sequences  of  stealing  sheep. 

"  They  then  returned  to  the  house  to  breakfast  ; 
but  as  the  pain  in  my  hands  and  arms  produced  by 
the  ligatures  of  the  cord  with  which  I  was  bound,  was 
greater  than  I  could  bear,  I  now  felt  exceedingly  sick, 
and  lost  all  knowledge  of  my  situation.  They  told 
me  I  fainted  ;  and  when  I  recovered  my  faculties,  I 
found  myself  lying  in  the  shade  of  the  house,  with  my 
hands  free,  and  all  the  white  persons  in  my  master's 
family  standing  around  me.  As  soon  as  I  was  able  to 
stand,  the  rope  was  tied  round  my  neck,  and  the  other 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  85 

end  again  fastened  to  the  mill  post.  My  mistress  said 
I  had  only  pretended  to  faint ;  and  master  Tom  said, 
I  would  have  something  worth  fainting  for  before 
night.  He  was  faithful  to  his  promise  ;  but,  for  the 
present,  I  was  suffered  to  sit  on  the  grass  in  the  shade 
of  the  house. 

"As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  my  two  young 
masters  had  their  horses  saddled,  and  set  out  to  give 
notice  to  their  friends  of  what  had  happened,  and  to 
invite  them  to  come  and  see  me  punished  for  the  crime 
I  had  committed.  My  mistress  gave  me  no  breakfast, 
and  when  I  begged  one  of  the  black  boys  whom  I  saw 
looking  at  me  through  the  pales,  to  bring  me  some 
water  in  a  gourd  to  drink,  she  ordered  him  to  bring  it 
from  a  puddle  in  the  lane.  My  mistress  has  always 
been  very  cruel  to  all  her  black  people. 

"  I  remained  in  this  situation  until  about  eleven 
o'clock,  when  one  of  my  young  mistresses  came  to  me 
and  gave  me  a  piece  of  jormy-cake  about  the  size  of 
my  hand,  perhaps  larger  than  my  hand,  telling  me  at 
the  same  time,  that  my  fellow-slaves  had  been  permit 
ted  to  re-boil  the  mutton  that  I  had  left  in  the  kettle, 
and  make  their  breakfast  of  it,  but  that  her  mother 
would  not  allow  her  to  give  me  any  part  of  it.  It  was 
well  for  them  that  I  had  parboiled  it  with  my  shirt, 
and  so  denied  it  that  it  was  unfit  for  the  table  of  my 
master,  otherwise,  no  portion  of  it  would  have  fallen 


86  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains ;  or, 

to  the  black  people — as  it  was,  they  had  as  much  meat 
as  they  could  consume  in  two  days,  for  which  I  had  to 
suffer. 

"About  twelve  o'clock,  one  of  my  young  masters 
returned,  and  soon  afterwards  the  other  came  home. 
I  heard  them  tell  my  old  master  that  they  had  been 
round  to  give  notice  of  my  offence  to  the  neighboring 
planters,  and  that  several  of  them  would  attend  to  see 
me  flogged,  and  would  bring  with  them  some  of  their 
slaves,  who  might  be  able  to  report  to  their  compan 
ions  what  had  been  done  to  me  for  stealing. 

"  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  any  of  the  gen 
tlemen  came  ;  but,  before  five  o'clock,  there  were  more 
than  twenty  white  people,  and  at  least  fifty  black 
ones  present,  the  latter  of  whom  had  been  compelled, 
by  their  masters,  to  come  and  see  me  punished. 
Amongst  others,  an  overseer  from  a  neighboring  estate 
attended  ;  and  to  him  was  awarded  the  office  of  exe 
cutioner.  I  was  stripped  of  my  shirt,  and  the  waist 
band  of  my  trousers  was  drawn  closely  round  me,  be 
low  my  hips,  so  as  to  expose  the  whole  of  my  back, 
in  its  entire  length. 

"  It  seems  that  it  had  been  determined  to  beat  me 
with  thongs  of  raw  cow-hide,  for  the  overseer  had  two 
of  these  in  his  hands,  each  about  four  feet  long  ;  but 
one  of  the  gentlemen  present  said  this  might  bruise  my 
back  so  badly,  that  I  could  not  work  for  sometime  ; 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  87 

perhaps  not  for  a  week  or  two  ;  and  as  I  could  not  be 
spared  from  the  field  without  disadvantage  to  my  mas 
ter's  crop,  he  suggested  a  different  plan,  by  which,  in 
his  opinion,  the  greatest  degree  of  pain  could  be  in 
flicted  on  me,  with  the  least  danger  of  rendering  me 
unable  to  work.  As  he  was  a  large  planter,  and  had 
more  than  fifty  slaves,  all  were  disposed  to  be  guided 
by  his  counsels,  and  my  master  said  he  would  submit 
the  matter  entirely  to  him  as  a  man  of  judgment  and 
experience  in  such  cases.  He  then  desired  my  master 
to  have  a  dozen  pods  of  red  pepper  boiled  in  half  a 
gallon  of  water,  and  desired  the  overseer  to  lay  aside 
his  thongs  of  raw-hide,  and  put  a  new  cracker  of  silk, 
to  the  lash  of  his  negro  whip.  Whilst  these  prepara 
tions  were  being  made,  each  of  my  thumbs  were  lashed 
closely  to  the  end  of  a  stick  about  three  feet  long,  and 
a  chair  being  placed  beside  the  mill  post,  I  was  com 
pelled  to  raise  my  hands  and  place  the  stick,  to  which 
my  thumbs  were  bound,  over  the  top  of  the  post,  which 
is  about  eighteen  inches  square  ;  the  chair  was  then 
taken  from  under  me,  and  I  was  left  hanging  by  the 
thumbs,  with  my  face  towards  the  post,  and  my  feet 
about  a  foot  from  the  ground.  My  two  great  toes 
were  then  tied  together,  and  drawn  down  the  post  as 
far  as  my  joints  could  be  stretched ;  the  cord  was  pass 
ed  round  the  post  two  or  three  times  and  securely  fas 
tened.  In  this  posture  I  had  no  power  of  motion, 


88  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

except  in  my  neck,  and  could  only  move  that  at  the 
expense  of  beating  my  face  against  the  side  of  the  post. 
"  The  pepper  tea  was  now  brought,  and  poured  into 
a  basin  to  cool,  and  the  overseer  was  desired  to  give 
me  a  dozen  lashes  just  above  the  waist-band  ;  and  not 
to  cover  a  space  of  more  than  four  inches  on  my  back, 
from  the  waist-band  upwards.  He  obeyed  the  injunc 
tion  faithfully,  but  slowly,  and  each  crack  of  the  whip 
was  followed  by  a  sensation  as  painful  as  if  a  red  hot 
iron  had  been  drawn  across  my  back.  When  the 
twelve  strokes  had  been  given,  the  operation  was  sus 
pended,  and  a  black  man,  one  of  the  slaves  present, 
was  compelled  to  wash  the  gashes  in  my  skin,  with 
the  scalding  pepper  tea,  which  was  yet  so  hot  that  he 
could  not  hold  his  hand  in  it.  This  doubly-burning 
liquid  was  thrown  into  my  raw  and  bleeding  wounds, 
and  produced  a  tormenting  smart,  beyond  the  descrip 
tion  of  language.  After  a  delay  of  ten  minutes,  by 
the  watch,  I  received  another  dozen  lashes,  on  the 
part  of  my  back  which  was  immediately  above  the 
bleeding  and  burning  gashes  of  the  former  whipping  ; 
and  again  the  biting,  stinging,  pepper  tea  was  applied 
to  my  lacerated  and  trembling  muscles.  This  opera 
tion  was  continued  at  regular  intervals,  until  I  had 
received  ninety-six  lashes,  and  my  back  was  cut  and 
scalded  from  end  to  end.  Every  stroke  of  the  whip 
ha,d  drawn  blood  ;  many  of  the  gashes  were  three  inches 


Tlie  Life  of  nn  American  Slave.  89 

long  ;  my  back  burned  as  if  it  had  been  covered  by  a 
coat  of  hot  embers,  mixed  with  living  coals  ;  and  I  felt 
my  flesh  quiver  like  that  of  animals  that  have  been 
slaughtered  by  the  butcher  and  are  flayed  whilst  yet 
half  alive.  My  face  was  bruised,  and  my  nose  bled 
profusely,  for  in  the  madness  of  my  agony,  I  had  not 
been  able  to  refrain  from  beating  my  head  violently 
against  the  post. 

"  Vainly  did  I  beg  and  implore  for  mercy.  I  was 
kept  bound  to  the  post  with"  my  whole  weight  hanging 
upon  my  thumbs,  an  hour  and  a  half,  but  it  appeared 
to  me  that  I  had  entered  upon  eternity,  and  that  my 
sufferings  would  never  end.  At  length,  however,  my 
feet  were  unbound,  and  afterwards  my  hands ;  but 
when  released  from  the  cords,  I  was  so  far  exhausted 
as  not  to  be  able  to  stand,  and  my  thumbs  were  stiff 
and  motionless.  I  was  carried  into  the  kitchen,  and 
laid  on  a  blanket,  where  my  mistress  came  to  see  me  ; 
and  after  looking  at  my  lacerated  back,  and  telling  me 
that  my  wounds  were  only  skin  deep,  said  I  had  come 
off  well,  after  what  I  had  done,  and  that  I  ought  to 
be  thankful  that  it  was  not  worse  with  me.  She  then 
bade  me  not  to  groan  so  loud,  nor  make  so  much  noise, 
and  left  me  to  myself.  I  lay  in  this  condition  until  it 
was  quite  dark,  by  which  time  the  burning  of  my  back 
had  much  abated,  and  was  succeeded  by  an  aching 

tr>  -him    ^~~-    r 


90  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

bend  my  spine  in  the  slightest  manner.  My  mistress 
again  visited  me,  and  brought  with  her  about  half  a 
pound  of  fat  bacon,  which  she  made  one  of  the  black 
women  roast  before  the  fire  on  a  fork,  until  the  oil  ran 
freely  from  it,  and  then  rub  it  warm  over  my  back. 
This  was  repeated  until  I  was  greased  from  the  neck 
to  the  hips,  effectually.  An  old  blanket  was  then 
thrown  over  me,  and  I  was  left  to  pass  the  night  alone. 
Such  was  the  terror  stricken  into  my  fellow-slaves,  by 
the  example  made  of  me,  that  although  they  loved  and 
pitied  me,  not  one  of  them  dared  to  approach  me  dur 
ing  this  night. 

"  My  strength  was  gone,  and  I  at  length  fell  asleep, 
from  which  I  did  not  awake  until  the  horn  was  blown 
the  next  morning,  to  call  the  people  to  the  corn  crib., 
to  receive  their  weekly  allowance  of  a  peck  of  corn.  I 
did  not  rise,  nor  attempt  to  join  the  other  people,  and 
shortly  afterwards  my  master  entered  the  kitchen,  and 
in  a  soft  and  gentle  tone  of  voice,  asked  me  if  I  was 
dead.  I  answered  him  that  I  was  not  dead,  and  mak 
ing  some  effort,  found  I  was  able  to  get  upon  my  feet. 
My  master  had  become  frightened  when  he  missed  me 
at  the  corn  crib,  and  being  suddenly  seized  with  an 
apprehension  that  I  was  dead,  his  heart  had  become 
spftened,  not  with  compassion  for  my  sufferings,  but 
with  the  fear  of  losing  his  best  field  hand  ;  but  when 
he  saw  me  stand  before  him  erect,  and  upright,  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  91 

recollection  of  the  lost  sheep  revived  in  his  mind,  and 
with  it,  all  his  feelings  of  revenge  against  the  author 
of  its  death. 

" '  So  you  are  not  dead  yet,  you  thieving  rascal/ 
said  he,  and  cursing  me  with  many  bitter  oaths,  order 
ed  me  to  go  along  to  the  crib  and  get  my  corn,  and  go 
to  work  with  the  rest  of  the  hands.  I  was  forced  to 
obey,  and  taking  my  basket  of  corn  from  the  door  of 
the  crib,  placed  it  in  the  kitchen  loffc,  aad  went  to  the 
field  with  the  other  people. 

"  Weak  and  exhausted  as  I  was,  I  was  compelled 
to  do  the  work  of  an  able  hand,  but  was  not  permitted 
to  taste  the  mutton,  which  was  all  given  to  the  others, 
who  were  carefully  guarded  whilst  they  were  eating, 
lest  they  should  give  me  some  of  it." 

This  man's  back  was  not  yet  well.  Many  of  the 
gashes  made  by  the  lash  were  yet  sore,  and  those  that 
were  healed  had  left  long  white  stripes  across  his  body. 
He  had  no  notion  of  leaving  the  service  of  his  tyran 
nical  master,  and  his  spirit  was  so  broken  and  sub 
dued  that  he  was  ready  to  suffer  and  to  bear  all  his 
hardships :  not,  indeed,  without  complaining,  but 
without  attempting  to  resist  his  oppressors  or  to  es 
cape  from  their  power.  I  saw  him  often  whilst  I  re 
mained  at  this  place,  and  ventured  to  tell  him  once, 
that  if  I  had  a  master  who  would  abuse  me  as  he  had 
abused  him,  I  would  TUE  away.  "Where  could  I 


92  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains,  or, 

run,  or  in  what  place  could  I  conceal  myself  ?"  said 
he.  "I  have  known  many  slaves  who  ran  away,  but 
they  were  always  caught  and  treated  worse  afterwards 
than  they  had  been  before.  I  have  heard  that  there 
is  a  place  called  Philadelphia,  where  the  black  people 
are  all  free,  but  I  do  not  know  which  way  it  lies,  nor 
what  road  I  should  take  to  go  there  ;  and  if  I  knew 
the  way,  how  could  I  hope  to  get  there  ?  would  not 
the  patrol  be  sure  to  catch  me  ?" 

I  pitied  this  unfortunate  creature,  and  was  at  the 
same  time  fearful  that,  in  a  short  time,  I  should  be 
equally  the  object  of  pity  myself.  How  well  my  fears 
were  justified  the  sequel  of  my  narrative  will  show. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  93 


CHAPTER    V. 

WE  had  been  stationed  in  the  old  cotton-gin  house 
aw  jut  twenty  days,  had  recovered  from  the  fatigues  of 
OUT  journey,  and  were  greatly  improved  in  our  strength 
and  appearance,  when  our  master  returned  one  even- 
ing>  after  an  absence  of  two  days,  and  told  us  that  we 
must  go  to  Columbia  the  next  day,  and  must,  for  this 
purpose,  have  our  breakfast  ready  by  sunrise.  On  the 
following  morning  he  called  us  at  daylight,  and  we 
made  all  despatch  in  preparing  our  morning  repast, 
the  last  that  we  were  to  take  in  our  present  residence. 
*  As  our  equipments  consisted  of  a  few  clothes  we  had 
on  our  persons  and  a  solitary  blanket  to  each  indi 
vidual,  our  baggage  was  easily  adjusted,  and  we  were 
on  the  road  before  the  sun  was  up  half  an  hour  ;  and 
in  less  than  an  hour  we  were  in  Columbia,  drawn  up  in 
a  long  line  in  the  street  opposite  the  court-house. 

The  town,  which  was  small  and  mean-looking,  was 
full  of  people,  and  I  believe  that  more  than  a  thou 
sand  gentlemen  came  to  look  at  us  within  the  course 


94  Fifty  Tears  in  Ohains  ;  or, 

of  this  day.  We  were  kept  in  the  street  about  an 
hour,  and  were  then  taken  into  the  jail-yard  and  per 
mitted  to  sit  down  ;  but  were  not  shut  up  in  the  jail. 
The  court  was  sitting  in  Columbia  at  this  time,  and 
either  this  circumstance  or  the  intelligence  of  our 
arrival  in  the  country,  or  both,  had  drawn  together  a 
very  great  crowd  of  people. 

We  were  supplied  with  victuals  by  the  jailor,  and 
had  a  small  allowance  of  salt  pork  for  dinner.  We 
slept  in  the  jail  at  night,  and  as  none  of  us  had  been 
sold  on  the  day  of  our  arrival  in  Columbia,  and  we 
had  not  heard  any  of  the  persons  who  came  to  look  at 
us  make  proposals  to  our  master  for  our  purchase,  I 
supposed  it  might  be  his  intention  to  drive  us  still 
farther  south  before  he  offered  us  for  sale  ;  but  I  dis 
covered  my  error  on  the  second  day,  which  was  Tues 
day.  This  day  the  crowd  in  town  was  much  greater 
than  it  had  been  on  Monday  ;  and,  about  ten  o'clock 
our  master  came  into  the  yard  in  company  with  the 
jailor,  and  after  looking  at  us  some  time,  the  latter 
addressed  us  in  a  short  speech,  which  continued  per 
haps  five  minutes.  In  this  harangue  he  told  us  we 
had  come  to  live  in  the  finest  country  in  the  world  ; 
that  South  Carolina  was  the  richest  and  best  part  of 
the  United  States  ;  and  that  he  was  going  to  sell  us 
to  gentlemen  who  would  make  us  all  very  happy,  and 
would  require  us  to  do  no  hard  work  ;  but  only  raise 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  95 

cotton  and  pick  it.  He  then  ordered  a  handsome 
young  lad,  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  to  follow  him 
into  the  street,  where  he  observed  a  great  concourse 
of  persons  collected.  Here  the  jailor  made  another 
harangue  to  the  multitude,  in  which  he  assured  them 
that  he  was  just  about  to  sell  the  most  valuable  lot 
of  slaves  that  had  ever  been  offered  in  Columbia. 
That  we  were  all  young,  in  excellent  health,  of  good 
habits,  having  been  all  purchased  in  Virginia,  from 
the  estates  of  tobacco  planters  ;  and  that  there  was 
not  one  in  the  whole  lot  who  had  lost  the  use  of  a 
single  finger,  or  was  blind  of  an  eye. 

He  then  cried  the  poor  lad  for  sale,  and  the  first 
bid  he  received  was  two  hundred  dollars.  Others 
quickly  succeeded,  and  the  boy,  who  was  a  remarkably 
handsome  youth,  was  stricken  off  in  a  few  minutes  to 
a  young  man  who  appeared  not  much  older  than  him 
self,  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  purchaser 
paid  down  his  price  to  our  master  on  a  table  in  the 
jail,  and  the  lad,  after  bidding  us  farewell,  followed 
his  new  master  with  tears  running  down  his  cheeks. 

He  next  sold  a  young  girl,  about  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years  old,  for  two  hundre^  and  fifty  dollars,  to  a  lady 
who  attended  the  sales  in  her  carriage,  and  made  her 
bids  out  of  the  window.  In  this  manner  the  sales 
were  continued  for  about  two  hours  and  a  half,  when 
they  were  adjourned  until  three  o'clock.  In  the  after- 


96  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


noon  they  were  again  resumed,  and  kept  open  until 
about  five  o'clock,  when  they  were  closed  for  the  day. 
As  my  companions  were  sold,  they  were  taken  from 
amongst  us,  and  we  saw  them  no  more. 

The  next  morning,  before  day,  I  was  awakened  from 
my  sleep  by  the  sound  of  several  heavy  fires  of  cannon, 
which  were  discharged,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  place  where  I  lay.  These  were  suc 
ceeded  by  fifes  and  drums,  and  all  the  noise  with 
which  I  had  formerly  heard  the  fourth  of  July  usher 
ed  in,  at  the  Navy  Yard  in  Washington. 

Since  I  had  left  Maryland  I  had  careful  y  kept  the 
reckoning  of  the  days  of  the  week,  but  had  not  been 
careful  to  note  the  dates  of  the  month ;  yet  as  soon 
as  daylight  appeared,  and  the  door  of  our  apartment 
was  opened,  I  inquired  and  learned  that  this  was,  as 
I  had  supposed  it  to  be,  the  day  of  universal  rejoicing. 

I  understood  that  the  court  did  not  sit  this  day, 
but  a  great  crowd  of  people  gathered  and  remained 
around  the  jail  all  the  morning  ;  many  of  whom  were 
intoxicated,  and  sang  and  shouted  in  honor  of  free 
government,  and  the  rights  of  man.  About  eleven 
o'clock,  a  long  table  was  spread  under  a  row  of  trees 
which  grew  in  the  street,  not  far  from  the  jail,  and 
which  appeared  to  me  to  be  of  the  kind  called  in 
Pennsylvania,  the  pride  of  China.  At  this  table 
several  hundred  persons  sat  down  to  dinner,  soon  after 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave,  97 


noon,  and  continued  to  eat  and  drink,  and  sing  songs 
in  honor  of  liberty,  for  more  than  two  hours.  At  the 
end  of  the  dinner  a  gentleman  rose  and  stood  upon 
his  chair,  near  one  end  of  the  table,  and  begged  the 
company  to  hear  him  for  a  few  minutes.  He  informed 
them  that  he  was  a  candidate  for  some  office — but 
what  office  it  was  I  do  not  recollect — and  said,  that 
as  it  was  an  acknowledged  principle  of  our  free  gov 
ernment,  that  all  men  were  born  free  and  equal,  he 
presumed  it  would  not  be  deemed  an  act  of  arrogance 
in  him,  to  call  upon  them  for  their  votes  at  the  coming 
election. 

This  first  speaker  was  succeeded  by  another,  who 
addressed  his  audience  in  nearly  the  same  language  ; 
and  after  he  had  concluded,  the  company  broke  up.  I 
heard  a  black  man  that  belonged  to  the  jailer,  or,  who 
was  at  least  in  his  service,  say  that  there  had  been  a 
great  meeting  that  morning  in  the  court  house,  at  which 
several  gentlemen  had  made  speeches. 

When  I  lived  at  the  navy-yard,  the  officers  some 
times  permitted  me  to  go  up  town  with  them,  on  the 
fourth  of  July,  and  listen  to  the  fine  speeches  that  were 
made  there,  on  such  occasions. 

About  five  o'clock,  the  jailer  came  and  stood  at  the 
front  door  of  the  jail,  and  proclaimed,  in  a  very  loud 
voice,  that  a  sale  of  most  valuable  slaves  would  im 
mediately  take  place  ;  that  he  had  sold  many  fine  hands 

5 


98  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  :r, 

yesterday,  but  they  were  only  the  refuse  and  most 
worthless  part  of  the  whole  lot ; — that  those  who 
wished  to  get  great  bargains  and  prime  property,  had 
better  attend  now  ;  as  it  was  certain  that  such  negroes 
had  never  been  offered  for  sale  in  Columbia  before. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  assembly,  that  had  com 
posed  the  dinner  party,  and  hundreds  of  others,  were 
convened  around  the  jair  door,  arid  the  jailer  again 
proceeded  with  his  auction.  Several  .of  the  stoutest 
men  and  handsomest  women  in  the  whole  company, 
had  been  reserved  for  this  day  ;  and  I  perceived  that 
the  very  best  of  us  were  kept  back  for  the  last.  We 
went  off  at  rather  better  prices  than  had  been  obtain 
ed  on  the  former  day  ;  and  I  perceived  much  eagerness 
amongst  the  bidders,  many  of  whom  were  not  sober. 
Within  less  than  three  hours,  only  three  of  us  remain 
ed  in  the  jail ;  and  we  were  ordered  to  come  and  stand 
at  the  door,  in  front  of  the  crier,  who  made  a  most 
extravagant  eulogium  upon  our  good  qualities  and 
capacity  to  perform  labor.  He  said,  "  These  three 
fellows  are  as  strong  as  horses,  and  as  patient  as  mules  ; 
one  of  them  can  do  as  much  work  as  two  common 
men,  and  they  are  perfectly  honest.  Mr.  M'Giffin 
gays,  he  was  assured  by  their  former  masters  that  they 
were  never  known  to  steal,  or  run  away.  They  must 
bring  good  prices,  gentlemen,  or  they  will  not  be  sold. 
Their  master  is  determined,  that  if  they  do  not  brine; 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  99 

six  hundred  dollars,  he  will  not  sell  them,  but  will 
take  them  to  Georgia  next  summer,  and  sell  them  to 
some  of  the  new  settlers.  These  boys  can  do  anything. 
This  one,"  referring  to  me,  "  can  cut  five  cords  of  wood 
in  a  day,  and  put  it  up.  He  is  a  rough  carpenter, 
and  a  first  rate  field  hand.  This  one,"  laying  his  hand 
on  the  shoulder  of  one  of  my  companions,  "  is  a  black 
smith  ;  and  can  lay  a  ploughshare  ;  put  new  steel 
upon  an  axe  ;  or  mend  a  broken  chain."  The  other, 
he  recommended  as  a  good  shoemaker,  and  well  ac 
quainted  with  the  process  of  tanning  leather. 

We  were  all  nearly  of  the  same  age  ;  and  very  stout, 
healthy,  robust  young  men,  in  full  possession  of  oui 
corporal  powers  ;  and  if  we  had  been  shut  up  in  a 
room,  with  ten  of  the  strongest  of  those  who  had 
assembled  to  purchase  us,  and  our  liberty  had  depend 
ed  on  tying  them  fast  to  each  other,  I  have  no  doubt 
that  we  should  have  been  free,  if  ropes  had  been  pro 
vided  for  us. 

After  a  few  minutes  of  hesitancy  amongst  the  pur 
chasers,  and  a  closer  examination  of  our  persons  than 
had  been  made  in  the  jail-yard,  an  elderly  gentleman 
said  he  would  take  the  carpenter  ;  and  the  blacksmith, 
and  shoemaker,  were  immediately  taken  by  others,  at 
the  required  price. 

It  was  now  sundown.  The  heat  of  the  day  had 
been  very  oppressive,  and  I  was  glad  to  be  released 


100  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

from  the  confined  air  of  the  jail,  and  the  hot  atmos 
phere,  in  which  so  many  hundreds  were  breathing. — 
My  new  master  asked  me  my  name,  and  ordered  me 
to  follow  him. 

We  proceeded  to  a  tavern,  where  a  great  number  of 
persons  were  assembled,  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
jail.  My  master  entered  the  house,  and  joined  in  the 
conversation  of  the  party,  in  which  the  utmost  hilarity 
prevailed.  They  were  drinking  toasts  in  honor  of 
liberty  and  independence,  over  glasses  of  toddy — a 
liquor  composed  of  a  mixture  of  rum,  water,  sugar, 
and  nutmeg. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  at  night  before  my  master  and  his 
companions  had  finished  their  toasts  and  toddy  ;  and 
all  this  time,  I  had  been  standing  before  the  door,  or 
sitting  on  a  log  of  wood,  that  lay  in  front  of  the  house. 
At  one  time,  I  took  a  seat  on  a  bench,  at  the  side  of 
the  house  ;  but  was  soon  driven  from  this  position  by 
a  gentleman,  in  military  clothes,  with  a  large  gilt 
epaulet  on  each  shoulder,  and  a  profusion  of  glittering 
buttons  on  his  coat ;  who  passing  near  me  in  the  dark, 
and  happening  to  cast  his  eye  on  me,  demanded  of  me, 
in  an  imperious  tone,  how  I  dared  to  sit  on  that  seat. 
I  told  him  I  was  a  stranger,  and  did  not  know  that  it 
was  wrong  to  sit  there.  He  then  ordered  me  with  an 
oath,  to  begone  from  there  ;  and  said,  if  he  caught  nJe 
on  that  bench  again,  he  would  cut  my  head  off.  "  Did 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  101 

you  not  see  white  people  sit  upon  that  bencn,  you  saucy 
rascal  ?"  said  he.  I  assured  him  I  had  not  seen  any 
white  gentleman  sit  on  the  bench,  as  it  was  near  night 
when  I  came  to  the  house  ;  that  I  had  not  intended  to 
be  saucy,  or  misbehave  myself ;  and  that  I  hoped  he 
would  not  be  angry  with  me,  as  my  master  had  left 
me  at  the  door,  and  had  not  told  me  where  I  was  to  sit. 

I  remained  on  the  log  until  the  termination  of  the 
festival,  in  honor  of  liberty  and  equality ;  when  my 
master  came  to  the  door,  and  observed  in  my  hearing, 
to  some  of  his  friends,  that  they  had  celebrated  the 
day  in  a  handsome  manner. 

]STo  person,  except  the  military  gentleman,  had 
spoken  to  me  since  I  came  to  the  house  in  the  even 
ing  with  my  master,  who  seemed  to  have  forgotten  me  ; 
for  he  remained  at  the  door,  warmly  engaged  in  con 
versation,  on  various  political  subjects,  a  full  hour  aftei 
he  rose  from  the  toast  party.  At  length,  however,  I 
heard  him  say — "  I  bought  a  negro  this  evening — I 
wonder  where  he  is."  Kising  immediately  from  the 
log  on  which  I  had  been  so  long  seated,  I  presented 
myself  before  him,  and  said,  "  Here,  master."  He 
then  ordered  me  to  go  to  the  kitchen  of  the  inn,  and 
go  to  sleep  ;  but  said  nothing  to  me  about  supper.-— 
I  retired  to  the  kitchen,  where  I  found  a  large  num 
ber  of  servants,  who  belonged  to  the  house,  and  among 
them  two  young  girls,  who  had  been  purchased  bv  a 


102  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

gentleman  who  lived  near  Augusta  ;  and  who,  they 
told  me,  intended  to  set  out  for  his  plantation  the 
next  morning,  and  take  them  with  him. 

These  girls  had  been  sold  out  of  our  company  on  the 
first  day ;  and  had  been  living  in  the  tavern  kitchen 
since  that  time.  They  appeared  quite  contented,  and 
evinced  no  repugnance  to  setting  out  the  next  morn 
ing  for  their  master's  plantation.  They  were  of  that 
order  of  people  who  never  look  beyond  the  present 
day  ;  and  so  long  as  they  had  plenty  of  victuals,  in 
this  kitchen,  they  did  not  trouble  themselves  with 
reflections  upon  the  cotton  field. 

One  of  the  servants  gave  me  some  cold  meat  and  a 
piece  of  wheaten  bread,  which  was  the  first  I  had 
tasted  since  I  left  Maryland,  and  indeed,  it  was  the 
last  that  I  tasted  until  I  reached  Maryland  again. 

I  here  met  with  a  man  who  was  born  and  brought 
up  in  the  Northern  Neck  of  Virginia,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Potomac,  and  within  a  few  miles  of  my  native 
place.  We  soon  formed  an  acquaintance,  and  sat  up 
nearly  all  night.  He  was  the  chief  hostler  in  the 
stable  of  this  tavern,  and  told  me  that  he  had  often 
thought  of  attempting  to  escape,  and  return  to  Vir 
ginia.  He  said  he  had  little  doubt  of  being  able  to 
reach  the  Potomac  ;  but  having  no  knowledge  of  the 
country  beyond  that  river,  he  was  afraid  that  he  should 
not  be  able  to  make  his  way  to  Philadelphia  ;  which 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          103 

he  regarded  as  the  only  place  in  which  he  could  be 
safe  from  the  pursuit  of  his  master.  I  was  myself 
then  young,  and  my  knowledge  of  the  country,  north 
of  Baltimore,  was  very  vague  and  undefined.  I,  how 
ever,  told  him,  that  I  had  heard,  that  if  a  black  man 
could  reach  any  part  of  Pennsylvania,  he  would  be 
beyond  the  reach  of  his  pursuers.  He  said  he  could 
not  justly  complain  of  want  of  food  ;  but  the  services 
required  of  him  were  so  unreasonable,  and  the  punish 
ment  frequently  inflicted  upon  him.  so  severe,  that  he 
was  determined  to  set  out  for  the  North,  as  soon  as 
the  corn  was  so  far  ripe  as  to  be  fit  to  be  roasted.  He 
felt  confident,  that  by  lying  in  the  woods  and  unfre 
quented  places  all  day,  and  traveling  only  by  night, 
he  could  escape  the  vigilance  of  all  pursuit ;  and  gain 
the  Northern  Neck,  before  the  corn  would  be  gathered 
from  the  fields.  He  had  no  fear  of  wanting  food,  as 
he  could  live  well  on  roasting  ears,  as  long  as  the 
corn  was  in  the  milk ;  and  afterwards,  on  parched 
corn,  as  long  as  the  grain  remained  in  the  field.  I 
advised  him  as  well  as  I  could,  as  to  the  best  means 
of  reaching  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  but  was  not 
able  to  give  him  any  very  definite  instructions. 

This  man  possessed  a  very  sound  understanding ; 
and  having  been  five  years  in  Carolina,  was  well  ac 
quainted  with  the  country.  He  gave  me  such  an  ac 
count  of  the  sufferings  of  the  slaves,  on  the  cotton  and 


104  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

indigo  plantations — of  whom  I  now  regarded  myself  as 
one — that  I  was  unable  to  sleep  any  this  niglit. 
From  the  resolute  manner  in  which  he  spoke  of  his 
intended  elopement,  and  the  regularity  with  which  he 
had  connected  the  various  combinations  of  the  enter 
prise,  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  undertook  that  which 
he  intended  to  perform.  Whether  he  was  successful 
or  not  in  the  enterprise,  I  cannot  say,  as  I  never  saw 
him  nor  heard  of  him  after  the  next  morning. 

This  man  certainly  communicated  to  me  the  out 
lines  of  the  plan,  which  I  afterwards  put  in  execution, 
and  by  which  I  gained  my  liberty,  at  the  expense  of 
sufferings,  which  none  can  appreciate,  except  those 
who  have  borne  all  that  the  stoutest  human  constitu 
tion  can  bear,  of  cold  and  hunger,  toil  and  pain. 
The  conversation  of  this  slave  aroused  in  my  breast 
so  many  recollections  of  the  past,  and  fears  of  the  fu 
ture,  that  I  did  not  lie  down,  but  sat  on  an  old  chair 
until  daylight. 

From  the  people  of  the  kitchen  I  again  received 
some  cold  victuals  for  my  breakfast,  but  I  did  not  see 
my  master  until  about  nine  o'clock  ;  the  toddy  of  the 
last  evening  causing  him  to  sleep  late  this  morning. 
At  length  a  female  slave  gave  me  notice  that  my 
master  wished  to  sec  me  in  the  dining-room,  whither 
I  repaired  without  a  moment's  delay.  When  I  en 
tered  the  room  he  was  sitting  near  the  window,  smoV« 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  105 

ing  a  pipe,  with  a  very  long  handle — I  believe  more 
than  two  feet  in  length. 

He  asked  no  questions,  but  addressing  me  by  the 
title  of  "  boy,"  ordered  me  to  go  with  the  hostler  of 
the  inn,  and  get  his  horse  and  chaise  ready.  As  soon 
as  this  order  could  be  executed,  I  informed  him  that 
his  chaise  was  at  the  door,  and  we  immediately  com 
menced  our  journey  to  the  plantation  of  my  master, 
which,  he  told  me,  lay  at  the  distance  of  twenty  miles 
from  Columbia.  He  said  I  must  keep  up  with  him, 
and,  as  he  drove  at  the  rate  of  five  or  six  miles  an 
hour,  I  was  obliged  to  run  nearly  half  the  time  ;  but 
I  was  then  young,  and  could  easily  travel  fifty  or  sixty4* 
miles  in  a  day.  It  was  with  great  anxiety  that  I 
looked  for  the  place,  which  was  in  future  to  be  my 
home  ;  but  this  did  not  prevent  me  from  making  such 
observations  upon  the  state  of  the  country  through 
which  we  traveled,  as  the  rapidity  of  our  march  per 
mitted. 

This  whole  region  had  originally  been  one  vast  wil 
derness  of  pine  forest,  except  the  low  grounds  and 
river  bottoms,  here  called  swamps,  in  which  all  the 
varieties  of  trees,  shrubs,  vines,  and  plants  peculiar  to 
such  places,  in  southern  latitudes,  vegetated  in  un 
restrained  luxuriance.  Nor  is  pine  the  only  timber 
that  grows  on  the  uplands,  in  this  part  of  Carolina, 

although   it  is  the  predominant  tree,  and  in  some 

5* 


106  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;   or, 

places  prevails  to  the  exclusion  of  every  other — oak, 
hickory,  sassafras,  and  many  others  are  found. 

Here,  also,  I  first  observed  groves  of  the  most  beau 
tiful  of  all  the  trees  of  the  wood — the  great  Southern 
Magnolia,  or  Green  Bay.  No  adequate  conception 
can  be  formed  of  the  appearance  or  the  fragrance  of 
this  most  magnificent  tree,  by  any  one  who  has  not 
seen  it  or  scented  the  air  when  scented  by  the  perfume 
of  its  flowers.  It  rises  in  a  right  line  to  the  height  of 
seventy  or  eighty  feet ;  the  stem  is  of  a  delicate  taper 
form  and  casts  off  numerous  branches,  in  nearly  right 
angles  with  itself ;  the  extremities  of  which  decline 
gently  towards  the  ground,  and  become  shorter  and 
shorter  in  the  ascent,  until  at  the  apex  of  the  tree 
they  are  scarcely  a  foot  in  length,  whilst  below  they 
are  many  times  found  twenty  feet  long.  The  immense 
cones  formed  by  these  trees  are  as  perfect  as  those 
diminutive  forms  which  nature  exhibits  in  the  bur  of 
the  pine  tree.  The  leaf  of  the  Magnolia  is  smooth, 
of  an  oblong  taper  form,  about  six  inches  in  length, 
and  half  as  broad.  Its  color  is  the  deepest  and  purest 
green.  The  foliage  of  the  Bay  tree  is  as  impervious 
as  a  brick  wall  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  its  refresh 
ing  coolness,  in  the  heat  of  a  summer  day,  affords  one 
of  the  greatest  luxuries  of  a  cotton  plantation.  It 
blooms  in  May,  and  bears  great  numbers  of  broad,  ex 
panded  white  flowers,  the  odor  of  which  is  exceedingly 


The  Life  of  an  American   Slave.  107 


grateful,  and  so  abundant,  that  I  have  no  doubt  that 
a  grove  of  these  trees  in  full  bloom,  may  be  smelled 
at  a  distance  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles.  I  have  heard 
it  asserted  in  the  South,  that  their  scent  has  been 
perceived  by  persons  fifty  or  sixty  miles  from  them. 

This  tree  is  one  of  nature's  most  splendid,  and  in 
the  climate  where  she  has  placed  it,  one  of  her  most 
agreeable  productions.  It  is  peculiar  to  the  southern 
temperate  latitudes,  and  cannot  bear  the  rigors  of  a 
northern  winter  ;  though  I  have  heard  that  groves  of 
the  Bay  are  found  on  Fishing  Creek,  in  Western  Vir 
ginia,  not  far  from  Wheeling,  and  near  the  Ohio  river. 
Could  this  tree  be  naturalized  in  Pennsylvania,  it 
would  form  an  ornament  to  her  towns,  cities  and  coun 
try  seats,  at  once  the  most  tasteful  and  the  most  de 
licious.  A  forest  of  these  trees,  in  the  month  of  May, 
resembles  a  wood,  enveloped  in  an  untimely  fall  of 
snow  at  midsummer,  glowing  in  the  rays  of  a  morn 
ing  sun. 

We  passed  this  day  through  cotton-fields  and  pine 
woods,  alternately  ;  but  tne  scene  was  sometimes  en 
livened  by  the  appearance  of  lots  of  corn  and  sweet 
potatoes,  which,  I  observed,  were  generally  planted 
near  the  houses.  I  afterwards  learned  that  this  cus 
tom  of  planting  the  corn  and  potatoes  near  the  house 
of  the  planter,  is  generally  all  over  Carolina.  The 
object  is  to  prevent  the  slaves  from  stealing,  and  thus 


108  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

procuring  more  food  than,  by  the  laws  of  the  planta 
lion,  they  are  entitled  to. 

In  passing  through  a  lane,  I  this  day  saw  a  field 
which  appeared  to  me  to  contain  about  fifty  acres,  in 
which  people  were  at  work  with  hoes,  amongst  a  sort 
of  plants  that  I  had  never  seen  before.  I  asked  my 
master  what  this  was,  and  he  told  me  it  was  indigo.  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  say  more  of  this  plant  hereafter. 

We  at  length  arrived  at  the  residence  of  my  master, 
who  descended  from  his  chaise,  and  leaving  me  in 
charge  of  the  horse  at  the  gate,  proceeded  to  the  house 
across  a  long  court  yard.  In  a  few  minutes  two  young 
ladies,  and  a  young  gentleman,  came  out  of  the  house, 
and  walked  to  the  gate,  near  which  I  was  with  the 
horse.  One  of  the  ladies  said,  they  had  come  to  look 
at  me,  and  see  what  kind  of  a  boy  her  pa  had  brought 
home  with  him.  The  other  one  said  I  was  a  very 
smart  looking  boy  j  and  this  compliment  flattered  me 
greatly — they  being  the  first  kind  words  that  had  been 
addressed  to  me  since  I  left  Maryland.  The  young 
gentleman  asked  me  if  I  could  run  fast,  and  if  I  had 
ever  picked  cotton.  His  manner  did  not  impress  me 
so  much  in  his  favor,  as  the  address  of  his  sister  had 
done  for  her.  Tnese  three  young  persons  were  the  son 
and  daughters  of  my  master.  After  looking  at  me  a 
short  time,  my  young  master  (for  so  I  must  now  call 
him)  ordered  me  to  take  the  harness  from  the  horse. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          109 

give  him  water  at  a  well  which  was  near,  and  come 
into  the  kitchen,  where  some  boiled  rice  was  given 
me  for  my  dinner. 

I  was  not  required  to  go  to  work  this  first  day  of  my 
abode  in  my  new  residence  ;  but  after  I  had  eaten  my 
rice,  my  young  master  told  me  I  might  rest  myself  or 
walk  out  and  see  the  plantation,  but  that  I  must  be 
ready  to  go  with  the  overseer  the  next  morning. 


110  Fifty  Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 


CHAPTEK    VI. 


BY  the  laws  of  the  United  States  I  am  still  a  slave  ; 
and  though  I  am  now  growing  old,  I  might  even  yet 
be  deemed  of  sufficient  value  to  be  worth  pui suing  as 
far  as  my  present  residence,  if  those  to  whom  the  law 
gives  the  right  of  dominion  over  my  person  and  life, 
knew  where  to  find  me.  For  these  reasons  I  have  been 
advised,  by  those  whom  I  believe  to  be  my  friends,  not 
to  disclose  the  true  names  of  any  of  those  families  in 
which  J  was  a  slave,  in  Carolina  or  Georgia,  lest  this 
narrative  should  meet  their  eyes,  and  in  some  way 
lead  them  to  a  discovery  of  my  retreat. 

I  was  now  the  slave  of  one  of  the  most  wealthy 
planters  in  Carolina,  who  planted  cotton,  rice,  indigo, 
corn,  and  potatoes  ;  and  was  the  master  of  two  hun 
dred  and  sixty  slaves. 

The  description  of  one  great  cotton  plantation  will 
give  a  correct  idea  of  all  others  ;  and  I  shall  here  pre 
sent  an  outline  of  that  of  my  master's. 

He  lived  about  two  miles  from  Caugaree  river,  which 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  Ill 

bordered  his  estate  on  one  side,  and  in  the  swamps  of 
which  were  his  rice  fields.  The  country  hereabout  is 
very  flat,  the  banks  of  the  river  are  low,  and  in  wet 
seasons  large  tracts  of  country  are  flooded  by  the  super 
abundant  water  of  the  river.  There  are  no  springs, 
and  the  only  means  of  procuring  water  on  the  planta 
tions  is  from  wells,  which  must  be  sunk  in  general 
about  twenty  feet  deep,  before  a  constant  supply  of 
water  can  be  obtained.  My  master  had  two  of  these 
wells  on  his  plantation — one  at  the  mansion  house, 
and  one  at  the  quarter. 

My  master's  house  was  of  brick,  (brick  houses  are  by 
no  means  common  among  the  planters,  whose  residences 
are  generally  built  of  frame  work,  weather  boarded 
with  pine  boards,  and  covered  with  shingles  of  the 
white  cedar  or  juniper  cypress,)  and  contained  two 
large  parlors,  and  a  spacious  hall  or  entry  on  the 
ground  floor.  The  main  building  was  two  stories  high, 
and  attached  to  this  was  a  smaller  building,  one  story 
and  a  half  high,  with  a  large  room,  where  the  family 
generally  took  breakfast,  with  a  kitchen  at  the  farther 
extremity  from  the  main  building. 

There  was  a  spacious  garden  behind  the  house,  con 
taining,  I  believe,  about  five  acres,  well  cultivated, 
and  handsomely  laid  out.  In  this  garden  grew  a  great 
variety  of  vegetables ;  some  of  which  I  have  never 
seen  in  the  market  of  Philadelphia.  It  contained  a 


112  Fifty    Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

profusion  of  flowers,  three  different  shrubberies,  a  vast 
number  of  ornamental  and  small  fruit  trees,  and  several 
small  hot  houses,  with  glass  roofs.  There  was  a  head 
gardener,  who  did  nothing  but  attend  to  this  garden 
through  the  year  ;  and  during  the  summer  he  gener 
ally  had  two  men  and  two  boys  to  assist  him.  In  the 
months  of  April  and  May  this  garden  was  one  of  the 
sweetest  and  most  pleasant  places  that  I  ever  was  in. 
At  one  end  of  the  main  building  was  a  small  house, 
called  the  library,  in  which  my  master  kept  his  books 
and  papers,  and  where  he  spent  much  of  his  time. 

At  some  distance  from  the  mansion  was  a  pigeon- 
house,  and  near  the  kitchen  was  a  large  wooden  build 
ing,  called  the  kitchen  quarter,  in  which  the  house 
servants  slept,  and  where  they  generally  took  their 
meals.  Here,  also,  the  washing  of  the  family  was 
done,  and  all  the  rough  or  unpleasant  work  of  the 
kitchen  department — such  as  cleaning  and  salting  fish, 
putting  up  pork,  &c.,  was  assigned  to  this  place. 

There  was  no  barn  on  this  plantation,  according  to 
the  acceptation  of  the  word  barn  in  Pennsylvania  ; 
but  there  was  a  wooden  building,  about  forty  feet  long, 
called  the  coach-house,  in  one  end  of  which  the  family 
carriage  and  the  chaise  in  which  my  master  rode  were 
kept.  Under  the  same  roof  was  a  stable  large  enough 
to  contain  a  dozen  horses.  In  one  end  the  corn  in 
tended  for  the  horses  was  kept,  and  the  whole  of  one 


The  Life  jof  an  American  Slave.  113 

loft  was  occupied  by  'the  blades  and  tops  of  the  corn. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  dwelling  house 
were  the  huts  or  cabins  of  the  plantation  slaves,  stand 
ing  in  rows.  There  were  thirty-eight  of  them,  gener 
ally  about  sixteen  feet  square,  and  provided  with  pine 
floors.  In  these  cabins  were  two  hundred  and  fifty 
people,  of  all  ages,  sexes  and  sizes.  A  short  distance 
from  the  cabins  was  the  house  of  the  overseer.  In  one 
corner  of  his  garden  stood  a  corn-crib  and  a  provision- 
house.  A  little  way  off  stood  the  house  containing 
the  cotton-gin.  There  was  no  smoke-house,  nor  any 
place  for  curing  meat,  and  while  I  was  on  this  planta 
tion  no  food  was  ever  salted  for  the  use  of  the  slaves. 
I  went  out  into  the  garden,  and  after  sundown  my 
old  master  sent  me  to  the  overseer's  house.  He  was 
just  coming  in  from  the  field,  followed  by  a  great 
number  of  black  people.  He  asked  me  my  name,  and 
calling  a  middle-aged  man,  who  was  passing  us  at 
some  distance,  told  him  he  must  take  me  to  live  with 
him.  I  followed  my  new  friend  to  his  cabin,  which 
was  the  shelter  of  his  wife  and  five  children.  Their 
only  furniture  consisted  of  a  few  blocks  of  wood  for 
seats  ;  a  short  bench,  made  of  a  pine  board,  which 
served  as  a  table  ;  and  a  small  bed  in  one  corner,  com 
posed  of  a  mat,  made  of  common  rushes,  spread  upon 
some  com  husks,  pulled  and  split  into  fine  pieces,  and 
kept  together  by  a  narrow  slin  of  wood,  confined  to  the 


114  Fifty   Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

floor  by  wooden  pins.  There  was  a  common  iron  pot 
standing  beside  the  chimney,  and  several  wooden  spoons 
and  dishes  hung  against  the  wall.  Several  blankets 
also  hung  against  the  wall  upon  wooden  pins.  An  old 
box,  made  of  pine  boards,  without  either  lock  or  hinges, 
occupied  -one  corner.  / 

At  the  time  I  entered  this  humble  abode  the  mis 
tress  was  not  at  home.  She  had  not  yet  returned  from 
the  field  ;  having  been  sent,  as  the  husband  informed 
me,  with  some  other  people  late  in  the  evening,  to  do 
some  work  in  afield  about  two  miles  distant.  I  found 
a  child,  about  a  year  old,  lying  on  the  mat-bed,  and  a 
little  girl  about  four  years  old  sitting  beside  it. 

These  children  were  entirely  naked,  and  when  we 
came  to  the  door,  the  elder  rose  from  its  place  and  ran 
to  its  father,  and  clasping  him  round  one  of  his  knees, 
said,  "  Now  we  shall  get  good  supper."  The  father 
laid  his  hand  upon  the  head  of  his  naked  child,  and 
stood  silently  looking  in  its  faco — which  was  turned 
upwards  toward  his  own  for  a  moment — and  then 
turning  to  me,  said,  "  Did  you  leare  any  children  at 
home  ?"  The  scene  before  me — the  question  pro 
pounded — and  the  manner  of  this  poor  man  and  his 
child,  canoed  my  heart  to  swell  until  my  breast  seemed 
too  small  to  contain  it.  My  soul  fled  back  upon  the 
wings  of  fancy  to  my  wife's  lowly  dwelling  in  Mary 
land,  where  I  had  been  so  often  met  on  a  Saturday 


The  Life  cf  an  American  Slave.          115 


evening,  when  I  paid  them  my  weekly  visit,  by  my 
own  little  ones,  who  clung  to  my  knees  for  protection 
and  support,  even  as  the  poor  little  wretch  now  before 
me  seized  upon  the  weary  limb  of  its  hapless  and 
destitute  father,  hoping  that,  naked  as  he  was,  (for  he 
too  was  naked,  save  only  the  tattered  remains  of  a 
pair  of  old  trowsers,)  he  would  bring  with  his  return 
at  evening  its  customary  scanty  supper.  I  was  un 
able  to  reply,  but  stood  motionless,  leaning  against 
the  walls  of  the  cabin.  My  children  seemed  to  flit  by 
the  door  in  the  dusky  twilight ;  and  the  twittering  of 
a.  swallow,  which  that  moment  fluttered  over  my  head, 
sounded  in  my  ear  as  the  infantile  tittering  of  my  own 
little  boy ;  but  on  a  moment's  reflection  I  knew  that 
we  were  separated  without  the  hope  of  ever  again 
meeting  ;  that  they  no  more  heard  the  welcome  tread 
of  my  feet,  and  cc%ld  never  again  receive  the  little 
gifts  with  which,  poor  as  I  was,  I  was  accustomed  to 
present  them.  I  was  far  from  the  place  of  my  nati 
vity,  in  a  land  of  strangers,  with  no  one  to  care  for  me 
beyond  the  care  that  a  master  bestows  upon  his  ox  ; 
with  all  my  future  life  one  long,  waste,  barren  desert, 
of  cheerless,  hopeless,  lifeless  slavery ;  to  be  varied 
only  by  the  pangs  of  hunger  and  the  stings  of  the  lash. 
My  revery  was  at  length  broken  by  the  appearance 
of  the  mother  of  the  family,  with  her  three  eldest 
children.  The  mother  wore  an  old  ragged  shift ;  but 


116  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


the  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  appeared  to  be  about 
•twelve,  and  the  youngest  six  years  old,  were  quite 
naked.  When  she  came  in,  the  husband  told  her  that 
the  overseer  had  sent  me  to  live  with  them  ;  and  she 
and  her  oldest  child,  who  was  a  boy,  immediately  set 
about  preparing  their  supper,  by  boiling  some  of  the 
leaves  of  the  weed,  called  lamb's-quarter,  in  the  pot. 
This,  together  with  some  cakes  of  cold  corn  bread, 
formed  their  supper.  My  supper  was  brought  to  me 
from  the  house  of  the  overseer  by  a  small  girl,  his 
daughter.  It  was  about  half  a  pound  of  bread,  cut 
from  a  loaf  made  of  corn  meal.  My  companions  gave 
me  a  part  of  their  boiled  greens,  and  we  all  sat  down 
together  to  my  first  meal  in  my  new  habitation. 

I  had  no  other  bed  than  the  blanket  "which  I  had 
brought  with  me  from  Maryland  ;  and  I  went  to  sleep 
in  the  loft  of  the  cabin  which  was  assigned  to  me  as 
my  sleeping  room  ;  and  in  which  I  continued  to  lodge 
as  long  as  I  remained  on  this  plantation. 

The  next  morning  I  was  waked,  at  the  break  of  day, 
by  the  sound  of  a  horn,  which  was  blown  very  loudly. 
Perceiving  that  it  was  growing  light,  I  came  clown, 
and  went  out  immediately  in  front  of  the  house  of  the 
orerseer,  who  was  standing  near  his  own  gate,  blowing 
the  horn.  In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  of  the  working 
people,  from  all  the  cabins,  were  assembled  ;  and  as  it 
was  now  light  enough  foi  me  distinctly  to  see  such 


The  Life   if  an  American  Slave.  117 

objects  as  were  about  me,  I  at  once  perceived  the 
nature  of  the  servitude  to  which  I  was,  in  future,  to 
be  subject. 

As  I  have  before  stated,  there  were  altogether  on 
this  plantation,  two  hundred  and  sixty  slaves  ;  but 
the  number  was  seldom  stationary  for  a  single  week. 
Births  were  numerous  and  frequent,  and  deaths  were 
not  uncommon.  When  I  joined  them  I  believe  we 
counted  in  all  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  ;  but  of 
these  only  one  hundred  and  seventy  went  to  the  field 
to  work.  The  others  were  children,  too  small  to  be  of 
any  service  as  laborers  ;  old  and  blind  persons,  or  in 
curably  diseased.  Ten  or  twelve  were  kept  about  the 
mansion-house  and  garden,  chosen  from  the  most  hand 
some  and  sprightly  of  the  gang. 

I  think  about  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  assem 
bled  this  morning,  at  the  sound  of  the  horn — two  or 
three  being  sick,  sent  word  to  the  overseer  that  they 
could  not  come. 

The  overseer  wrote  something  on  a  piece  of  paper, 
and  gave  it  to  his  little  son.  This  I  was  told  was  a 
note  to  be  sent  to  our  master,  to  inform  him  that  some 
of  the  hands  were  sick — it  not  being  any  part  of  the 
duty  of  the  overseer  to  attend  to  a  sick  negro. 

The  overseer  then  led  off  to  the  field,  with  his  horn 
in  one  hand  and  his  whip  in  the  other  ;  we  following — 
men,  women,  and  children,  promiscuously — and  a 


118  Fifty   Years  in  Chains ;  or, 

wretched  looking  troop  we  were.  There  was  not  an 
entire  garment  amongst  us. 

More  than  half  of  the  gang  were  entirely  naked. 
Several  young  girls,  who  had  arrived  at  puberty,  wear 
ing  only  the  livery  with  which  nature  had  ornamented 
them,  and  a  great  number  of  lads,  of  an  equal  or 
superior  age,  appeared  in  the  same  costume.  There 
was  neither  bonnet,  cap,  nor  head  dress  of  any  kind 
amongst  us,  except  the  old  straw  hat  that  I  wore,  and 
which  my  wife  had  made  for  me  in  Maryland.  This 
I  soon  laid  aside  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  singularity, 
and,  as  owing  to  the  severe  treatment  I  had  endured 
whilst  traveling  in  chains,  and  being  compelled  to 
sleep  on  the  naked  floor,  without  undressing  myself, 
my  clothes  were  quite  worn  out,  I  did  not  make  a 
much  better  figure  than  my  companions  ;  though  still 
I  preserved  the  semblance  of  clothing  so  far,  that  it 
could  be  seen  that  my  shirt  and  trowsers  had  once  been 
distinct  and  separate  garments.  Not  one  of  the  others 
had  on  even  the  remains  of  two  pieces  of  apparel. — 
Some  of  the  men  had  old  shirts,  and  some  ragged  trow 
sers,  but  no  one  wore  both.  Amongst  the  women, 
several  wore  petticoats,  and  many  had  shifts.  Not  one 
of  the  whole  number  wore  both  of  these  vestments. 

We  walked  nearly  a  mile  through  one  vast  cotton 
field,  before  we  arrive  1  at  the  place  of  our  intended 
day's  labor.  At  last  the  overseer  stopped  at  the  side 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave,  119 

of  the  field,  and  calling  to  several  of  the  men  by  name, 
ordered  them  to  call  their  companies  and  turn  into 
their  rows.  The  work  we  had  to  do  to-day  was  to 
hoe  and  weed  cotton,  for  the  last  time  ;  and  the  men 
whose  names  had  been  called,  and  who  were,  I  believe, 
eleven  in  number,  were  designated  as  captains,  each  of 
whom  had  under  his  command  a  certain  number  of  the 
other  hands.  The  captain  was  the  foreman  of  his 
company,  and  those  under  his  command  had  to  keep 
up  with  him.  Each  of  the  men  and  women  had  to 
take  one  row  ;  and  two,  and  in  some  cases  where  they 
were  very  small,  three  of  the  children  had  one.  The 
first  captain,  whose  name  was  Simon,  took  the  first 
row — and  the  other  captains  were  compelled  to  keep 
up  with  him.  By  this  means  the  overseer  had  noth 
ing  to  do  but  to  keep  Simon  hard  at  work,  and  he  was 
certain  that  all  the  others  must  work  equally  hard. 

Simon  was  a  stout,  strong  man,  apparently  about 
thirty-five  years  of  age  ;  and  for  some  reason  unknown 
to  me,  I  was  ordered  to  take  a  row  next  to  his.  The 
overseer  with  his  whip  in  his  hand  walked  about  the 
field  after  us,  to  see  that  our  work  was  well  done.  As 
we  worked  with  hoes,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  learning 
how  the  work  was  to  be  performed. 

The  fields  of  cotton  at  this  season  of  the  year  are 
very  beautiful.  The  plants,  among  which  we  worked 
this  day,  were  about  three  feet  high,  and  in  full  bloom, 


120  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

with  branches  so  numerous  that  they  nearly  covered 
the  whole  ground — leaving  scarcely  space  enough  be 
tween  them  to  permit  us  to  move  about,  and  work  with 
our  hoes. 

About  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  overseer 
sounded  his  horn  ;  and  we  all  repaired  to  the  shade  of 
some  persimmon  trees,  which  grew  in  a  corner  of  the 
field,  to  get  our  breakfast.  I  here  saw  a  cart  drawn 
by  a  yoke  of  oxen,  driven  by  an  old  black  man,  nearly 
blind.  The  cart  contained  three  barrels,  filled  with 
water,  and  several  large  baskets  full  of  corn  bread 
that  had  been  baked  in  the  ashes.  The  water  was  for 
as  to  drink,  and  the  bread  was  our  breakfast.  The 
little  son  of  the  overseer  was  also  in  the  cart,  and  had 
brought  with  him  the  breakfast  of  his  father,  in  a 
small  wooden  bucket. 

The  overseer  had  bread,  butter,  cold  ham,  and  coffee 
for  his  breakfast.  Ours  was  composed  of  a  corn  cake, 
weighing  about  three-quarters  of  a  pound,  to  each 
person,  with  as  much  water  as  was  desired.  I  at  first 
supposed  that  this  bread  was  dealt  out  to  the  people 
as  their  allowance  ;  but  on  further  inquiry  I  found  this 
not  to  be  the  case.  Simon,  by  whose  side  I  was  now 
at  work,  and  who  seemed  much  pleased  with  my  agil 
ity  and  diligence  in  my  duty,  told  me  that  here,  as 
well  as  every  where  in  this  country,  each  person  re 
ceived  a  peck  of  corn  at  the  crib  door,  every  Sunday 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          121 

evening,  and  that  in  ordinary  times,  every  one  had  to 
grind  this  corn  and  bake  it,  for  him  or  herself,  making 
such  use  of  it  as  the  owner  thought  proper ;  but  that 
for  some  time  past,  the  overseer,  for  the  purpose  of  sav 
ing  the  time  which  had  been  lost  in  baking  the  bread, 
had  made  it  the  duty  of  an  old  woman,  who  was  not 
capable  of  doing  much  work  in  the  field,  to  stay  at  the 
quarter,  and  bake  the  bread  of  the  whole  gang.  When 
baked,  it  was  brought  to  the  field  in  a  cart,  as  I  saw, 
and  dealt  out  in  loaves. 

They  still  had  to  grind  their  own  corn,  after  night ; 
and  as  there  were  only  three  hand-mills  on  the  planta 
tion,  he  said  they  experienced  much  difficulty  in  con 
verting  their  corn  into  meal.  We  worked  in  this  field  all 
day ;  and  at  the  end  of  every  hour,  or  hour  and  a  quarter, 
we  had  permission  to  go  to  the  cart,  which  was  moved 
about  the  field,  so  as  to  be  near  us,  and  get  water. 

Our  dinner  was  the  same,  in  all  respects,  as  our 
breakfast,  except  that,  in  addition  to  the  bread,  we 
had  a  little  salt,  and  a  radish  for  each  person.  We 
were  not  allowed  to  rest  at  either  breakfast  or  dinner, 
longer  than  while  we  were  eating ;  and  we  worked  in 
Ihe  evening  as  long  as  we  could  distinguish  the  weeds 
from  the  cotton  plants. 

Simon  informed  me,  that  formerly,  when  they  bak 
ed  their  own  bread,  they  had  left  their  work  soon  after 

sundown,  to  go  home  and  bake  'for  the  next  day,  but 

6 


Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


the  overseer  had  adopted  the  new  policy  for  the  pur 
pose  of  keeping  them  at  work  until  dark. 

When  we  could  no  longer  see  to  work,  the  horn  was 
again  sounded,  and  we  returned  home.  I  had  now 
lived  through  one  of  the  days — a  successsion  of  which 
make  up  the  life  of  a  slave — on  a  cotton  plantation. 

As  we  went  out  in  the  morning,  I  observed  several 
women,  who  carried  their  young  children  in  their  arms 
to  the  field.  These  mothers  laid  their  children  at  the 
side  of  the  fence,  or  under  the  shade  of  the  cotton 
plants,  whilst  they  were  at  work  ;  and  when  the  rest 
of  us  went  to  get  water,  they  would  go  to  give  suck  to 
their  children,  requesting  some  one  to  bring  them  water 
in  gourds,  which  they  were  careful  to  carry  to  the  field 
with  them.  One  young  woman  did  not,  like  the  others, 
leave  her  child  at  the  end  of  the  row,  but  had  con 
trived  a  sort  of  rude  knapsack,  made  of  a  piece  of 
coarse  liven  cloth,  in  which  she  fastened  her  child, 
which  was  very  young,  upon  her  back  ;  and  in  this 
way  carried  it  all  day,  and  performed  her  task  at  the 
hoe  with  the  other  people.  I  pitied  her,  and  as  we 
were  going  home  at  night  escorted  her  and  learned  her 
history.  She  had  been  brought  up  a  lady's-maid,  and 
knew  little  of  hardship  until  she  was  sold  South  by  a 
dissipated  master.  On  this  plantation  she  was  obliged 
to  marry  a  man  she  did  riot  like,  and  was  often  severely 
whipped  because  she  could  not  do  as  much  work  as  the 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          123 

rest.  I  was  affected  by  her  story,  and  the  overseer's 
horn  interrupted  our  conversation,  at  hearing  which 
she  exclaimed,  "  We  are  too  late,  let  us  run,  or  we 
shall  be  whipped,"  and  setting  off  as  fast  as  she  could 
run,  she  left  me  alone.  I  quickened  my  pace,  and 
arrived  in  the  crowd  a  moment  before  her. 


124  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    VII. 


THE  overseer  was  calling  over  the  names  of  the  whole 
from  a  little  book,  and  the  first  name  I  heard  was  that 
of  my  companion — Lydia.  As  she  did  not  answer,  I 
said,  "  Master,  the  woman  that  carries  her  baby  on  her 
back  will  be  here  in  a  minute/'  He  paid  no  attention 
to  what  I  said,  but  went  on  with  his  call.  As  the 
people  answered  to  their  names,  they  passed  off  to  the 
cabins,  except  three,  two  women  and  a  man ;  who, 
when  their  names  were  called,  were  ordered  to  go  into 
the  yard,  in  front  of  the  overseer's  house.  My  name 
was  the  last  on  the  list,  and  when  it  was  called  I  was 
ordered  into  the  yard  with  the  three  others.  Just  as 
we  had  entered,  Lydia  came  up  out  of  breath,  with  the 
child  In  her  arms  ;  and  following  us  into  the  yard, 
dropped  on  her  knees  before  the  overseer,  and  begged 
him  to  forgive  her.  "  Where  have  you  been  ?"  said 
he.  Poor  Lydia  now  burst  into  tears,  and  said,  "  I 
only  stopped  to  talk  awhile  to  this  man/'  pointing  to 
ue  ;  u  but  indeed,  master  overseer,  I  will  never  do  sc 


TJie  Life  of  in  American  /Slave.          125 

again."  "  Lie  down/'  was  his  reply.  Lydia  immedi 
ately  fell  prostrate  upon  the  ground  ;  and  in  this  posi 
tion  he  compelled  her  to  remove  her  old  tow  linen  shift, 
the  only  garment  she  wore,  so  as  to  expose  her  hips, 
when  he  gave  her  ten  lashes,  with  his  long  whip,  every 
touch  of  which  brought  blood,  and  a  shriek  from  the 
sufferer.  He  then  ordered  her  to  go  and  get  her  sup 
per,  with  an  injunction  never  to  stay  behind  again. — 
The  other  three  culprits  were  then  put  upon  their  trial. 

The  first  was  a  middle  aged  woman,  who  had,  as 
her  overseer  said,  left  several  hills  of  cotton  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  without  cleaning  and  hilling  them 
in  a  proper  manner.  She  received  twelve  lashes.  The 
other  two  were  charged  in  general  terms,  with  having 
been  lazy,  and  of  having  neglected  their  work  that 
day.  Each  of  these  received  twelve  lashes. 

These  people  all  received  punishment  in  the  same 
manner  that  it  had  been  inflicted  upon  Lydia,  and 
when  they  were  all  gone  the  overseer  turned  to  me  and 
said — "  Boy,  you  are  a  stranger  here  yet,  but  I  called 
you  in  to  let  you  see  how  things  are  done  here,  and  to 
give  you  a  little  advice.  When  I  get  a  new  negro 
under  my  command,  I  never  whip  at  first  ;  I  always 
give  him  a  few  days  to  learn  his  duty,  unless  he  is  an 
outrageous  villain,  in  which  case  I  anoint  him  a  little 
at  the  beginning.  I  call  over  the  names  of  all  the 
hands  twice  every  week,  on  Wednesday  and  Saturday 


126  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

evenings,  and  settle  with  them  according  to  their  gen* 
eral  conduct  for  the  last  three  days.  I  call  the  names 
of  my  captains  every  morning,  and  it  is  their  business 
to  see  that  they  have  all  their  hands  in  their  proper 
places.  You  ought  not  to  have  staid  behind  to-night 
with  Lyd  ;  but  as  this  is  your  first  offence,  I  shall 
overlook  it,  and  you  may  go  and  get  your  supper."  I 
made  a  low  bow,  and  thanked  master  overseer  for  his 
kindness  to  me,  and  left  him.  This  night  for  supper 
we  had  corn  bread  and  cucumbers  ;  but  we  had  neither 
salt,  vinegar,  nor  pepper  with  the  cucumbers. 

I  had  never  before  seen  people  flogged  in  the  way 
our  overseer  flogged  his  people.  This  plan  of  making 
the  person  who  is  to  be  whipped  lie  down  upon  the 
ground,  was  new  to  me,  though  it  is  much  practiced 
in  the  South  ;  and  I  have  since  seen  men,  and  women 
too,  cut  nearly  in  pieces  by  this  mode  of  punishment. 
It  has  one  advantage  over  tying  people  up  by  the 
hands,  as  it  prevents  all  accidents  from  sprains  in  the 
thumbs  or  wrists. 

On  Monday  morning  I  heard  the  sound  of  the  horn 
it  the  usual  hour,  and  repairing  to  the  front  of  the 
overseer's  house,  found  that  he  had  already  gone  to 
the  corn  crib,  for  the  purpose  of  distributing  corn 
among  the  people,  for  the  bread  of  the  week  ;  or  rather 
for  the  week's  subsistence,  for  this  corn  was  all  the 
provision  that  our  master,  or  his  overseer,  usually  made 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          127 

for  us ;  I  say  usually,  for  whatever  was  given  to  us 
beyond  the  corn,  which  we  received  on  Sunday  even 
ing,  was  considered  in  the  light  of  a  bounty  bestowed 
upon  us,  over  and  beyond  what  we  were  entitled  to, 
or  had  a  right  to  expect  to  receive. 

When  I  arrived  at  thejcrib,  the  door  was  unlocked 
and  open,  and  the  distribution  had  already  commenced. 
Each  person  was  entitled  to  half  a  bushel  of  ears  of 
corn,  which  was  measured  out  by  several  of  the  men 
who  were  in  the  crib.  Every  child  above  six  months 
old  drew  this  weekly  allowance  of  corn  ;  and  in  this 
way,  women  who  had  several  small  children,  had  more 
corn  than  they  could  consume,  and  sometimes  bartered 
small  quantities  with  the  other  people  for  such  things 
as  they  needed,  and  were  not  able  to  procure. 

The  people  received  their  corn  in  baskets,  old  bags, 
or  any  thing  with  which  they  could  most  conveniently 
provide  themselves.  I  had  not  been  able,  since  I  came 
here,  to  procure  a  basket,  or  any  thing  else  to  put  my 
corn  in,  and  desired  the  man  with  whom  I  lived  to  take 
my  portion  in  his  basket,  with  that  of  his  family.  This 
he  readily  agreed  to  do,  and  as  soon  as  we  had  received 
our  share  we  left  the  crib. 

The  overseer  attended  in  person  to  the  measuring  of 
this  corn  ;  and  it  is  only  justice  to  him  to  say  that  he 
was  careful  to  see  that  justice  was  done  us.  The  men 
vrho  measured  the  corn  always  heaped  the  measure  as 


128  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

long  as  an  ear  would  lie  on  ;  and  he  never  restrained 
their  generosity  to  their  fellow-slaves. 

In  addition  to  this  allowance  of  corn,  we  received  a 
weekly  allowance  of  salt;  amounting  in  general  to  about 
half  a  gill  to  each  person ;  but  this  article  was  not 
furnished  regularly,  and  sometimes  we  received  none 
for  two  or  three  weeks. 

The  reader  must  not  suppose,  that,  on  this  planta 
tion,  we  had  nothing  to  eat  beyond  the  corn  and  salt. 
This  was  far  from  the  case.  I  have  already  described 
the  gardens,  or  patches,  cultivated  by  the  people,  and 
the  practice  which  they  universally  followed  of  work 
ing  on  Sunday,  for  wages.  In  addition  to  all  these, 
an  industrious,  managing  slave  would  contrive  to  gather 
up  a  great  deal  to  eat. 

I  have  observed,  that  the  planters  are  careful  of  the 
health  of  their  slaves,  and  in  pursuance  of  this  rule, 
they  seldom  expose  them  to  rainy  weather,  especially 
in  the  sickly  seasons  of  the  year,  if  it  can  be  avoided. 

In  the  spring  and  early  parts  of  the  summer,  the 
rains  are  frequently  so  violent,  and  the  ground  becomes 
so  wet,  that  it  is  injurious  to  the  cotton  to  work  it,  at 
least  whilst  it  rains.  In  the  course  of  the  year  there 
are  many  of  these  rainy  days,  in  which  the  people  can 
not  go  to  work  with  safety  ;  and  it  often  happens  that 
there  is  nothing  for  them  to  do  in  the  house.  At  such 
time  they  make  baskets,  brooms,  horse  collars,  and 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          129 

other  things,  which  they  are  able  to  sell  amongst  the 
planters. 

The  baskets  are  made  of  wooden  splits,  and  the 
brooms  of  young  white  oak  or  hickory  trees.  The 
mats  are  sometimes  made  of  splits,  but  more  frequent 
ly  of  flags,  as  they  are  called — a  kind  of  tall  rush, 
which  grows  in  swampy  ground.  The  horse  or  mule 
collars  are  made  of  husks  of  corn,  though  sometimes 
of  rushes,  but  the  latter  are  not  very  durable. 

The  money  procured  by  these,  and  various  other 
means,  which  I  shall  explain  hereafter,  is  laid  out  by 
the  slaves  in  purchasing  such  little  articles  of  necessity 
or  luxury,  as  it  enables  them  to  procure.  A  part  is 
disbursed  in  payment  for  sugar,  molasses,  and  some 
times  a  few  pounds  of  coffee,  for  the  use  of  the  family  ; 
another  part  is  laid  out  for  clothes  for  winter  ;  and  no 
inconsiderable  portion  of  his  pittance  is  squandered 
away  by  the  misguided  slave  for  tobacco,  and  an  occa 
sional  bottle  of  rum.  Tobacco  is  deemed  so  indispen 
sable  to  comfort,  nay  to  existence,  that  hunger  and 
nakedness  are  patiently  endured,  to  enable  the  slave 
to  indulge  in  this  highest  of  enjoyments. 

There  being  few  towns  in  the  cotton  country,  the 
shops,  or  stores,  are  frequently  kept  at  some  cross  road, 
or  other  public  place,  in  or  adjacent  to  a  rich  district 
of  plantations.  To  these  shops  the  slaves  resort, 

sometimes  with,  and  at  other  times  without,  the  con- 

6* 


130  :  ifty  Years  in  Chains  :  i>r} 


sent  of  til*  overseer,  for  the  purpose  of  laying  out  the 
little  money  they  get.  Notwithstanding  all  the  vigi 
lance  that  w  exercised  by  the  planters,  the  slaves,  who 
are  no  less  vigilant  than  their  masters,  often  leave  the 
plantation  after  the  overseer  has  retired  to  his  bed, 
and  go  to  the  store. 

The  store-keepers  are  always  ready  to  accommodate 
the  slaves,  who  are  frequently  better  customers  than 
many  white  people ;  because  the  former  always  pay 
cash,  whilst  the  latter  almost  always  require  credit.  In 
dealing  with  the  slave,  the  shop-keeper  knows  he  can 
demand  whatever  price  he  pleases  for  his  goods,  with 
out  danger  x>f  being  charged  with  extortion  ;  and  he 
is  ready  to  rise  at  any  time  of  the  night  to  oblige  friends, 
who  are  of  so  much  value  to  him. 

It  is  held  highly  disgraceful,  on  the  part  of  store 
keepers,  to  deal  with  the  slaves  for  any  thing  but 
money,  or  the  coarse  fabrics  that  it  is  known  are  the 
usual  products  of  the  ingenuity  and  industry  of  the 
negroes  ;  but,  notwithstanding  this,  a  considerable 
traffic  is  carried  on  between  the  shop-keepers  and  slaves," 
in  which  the  latter  make  their  payments  by  barter. 
The  utmost  caution  and  severity  of  masters  and  over 
seers,  are  sometimes  insufficient  to  repress  the  cunning 
contrivances  of  the  slaves. 

After  we  had  received  our  corn,  we  deposited  it  in 
our  several  houses,  and  immediately  followed  the  over- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          131 

seer  to  the  same  cotton  field,  in  which  we  had  been  at 
work  on  Sunday.  Our  breakfast  this  morning  was 
bread,  to  which  was  added  a  large  basket  of  apples, 
from  the  orchard  of  our  master.  These  apples  served 
us  for  a  relish  with  our  bread,  both  for  breakfast  and 
dinner,  and  when  I  returned  to  the  quarter  in  the  even 
ing,  Dinah  (the  name  of  the  woman  who  was  at  the 
head  of  our  family)  produced  at  supper,  a  black  jug, 
containing  molasses,  and  gave  me  some  of  the  molasses 
for  my  supper. 

I  felt  grateful  to  Dinah  for  this  act  of  kindness,  as 
I  well  knew  that  her  children  regarded  molasses  as  the 
greatest  of  human  luxuries,  and  that  she  was  depriving 
them  of  their  highest  enjoyment  to  afford  me  the 
means  of  making  a  gourd  full  of  molasses  and  water. 
I  therefore  proposed  to  her  and  her  husband,  whoso 
name  was  Nero,  that  whilst  I  should  remain  a  membei 
of  the  family,  I  would  contribute  as  much  towards  its 
support  as  Nero  himself ;  or,  at  least,  that  I  would 
bring  all  my  earnings  into  the  family  stock,  provided 
T  might  be  treated  as  one  of  its  members,  and  be 
allowed  a  portion  of  the  proceeds  of  their  patch  or 
garden.  This  offer  was  very  readily  accepted,  and 
from  this  time  we  constituted  one  community,  as  long 
as  I  remained  among  the  field  hands  on  this  plat  tation. 
After  supper  was  over,  we  had  to  grind  our  corn  ;  but 
as  we  had  to  wait  for  our  turn  at  the  mill,  we  did  not 


132  Fifty  Years  -'n  Chains  ;  or, 

get  through  this  indispensable  operation  before  ono 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  did  not  sit  up  all  night 
to  wait  for  our  turn  at  the  mill,  but  as  our  several 
turns  were  assigned  us  by  lot,  the  person  who  had  the 
first  turn,  when  done  with  the  mill,  gave  notice  to  tho 
one  entitled  to  the  second,  and  so  on.  By  this  means 
nobody  lost  more  than  half  an  hour's  sleep,  and  in  the 
morning  every  one's  grinding  was  done. 

We  worked  very  hard  this  week.  We  were  now 
laying  by  the  cotton,  as  it  is  termed  ;  that  is,  we  were 
giving  the  last  weeding  and  hilling  to  the  crop,  of 
which  there  was,  on  this  plantation,  about  five  hun 
dred  acres,  which  looked  well,  and  promised  to  yield  a 
fine  picking. 

In  addition  to  the  cotton,  there  was  on  this  planta 
tion  one  hundred  acres  of  corn,  about  ten  acres  of  in 
digo,  ten  or  twelve  acres  in  sweet  potatoes,  and  a  rice 
swamp  of  about  fifty  acres.  The  potatoes  and  indigo 
had  been  laid  by,  (that  is,  the  season  of  working  in 
them  was  past,)  before  I  came  upon  the  estate  ;  and 
we  were  driven  hard  by  the  overseer  to  get  done  with 
the  cotton,  to  be  ready  to  give  the  corn  another  har 
rowing  and  hoeing,  before  the  season  should  be  too  far 
advanced.  Most  of  the  corn  in  this  part  of  the  coun 
try,  was  already  laid  by,  but  the  crop  here  had  been 
planted  late,  and  yet  required  to  be  worked. 

We  were  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  bread,  foi 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          139 

a  peck  of  corn  is  as  much  as  a  man  can  consume  in  a 
week,  if  he  has  other  vegetables  with  it ;  but  we  were- 
obliged  to  provide  ourselves  with  the  other  articles, 
necessary  for  our  subsistence.  Nero  had  corn  in  his 
patch,  which  was  now  hard  enough  to  be  fit  for  boiling, 
and  my  friend  Lydia  had  beans  in  her  garden.  We 
exchanged  corn  for  beans,  and  had  a  good  supply  of 
both  ;  but  these  delicacies  we  were  obliged  to  reserve 
for  supper.  We  took  our  breakfast  in  the  field,  from 
the  cart,  which  seldom  afforded  us  any  thing  Letter 
than  bread,  and  some  raw  vegetables  from  the  garden. 
Nothing  of  moment  occurred  amongst  us,  in  this  first 
week  of  my  residence  here.  On  Wednesday  evening, 
called  settlement-night,  two  men  and  a  woman  were 
whipped  ;  but  circumstances  of  this  kind  were  so  com 
mon,  that  I  shall,  in  future,  not  mention  them,  unless 
something  extraordinary  attended  them. 

I  could  make  wooden  bowls  and  ladles,  and  went  to 
work  with  a  man  who  was  clearing  some  new  land 
about  two  miles  off — on  the  second  Sunday  of  my  so 
journ  here — and  applied  the  money  I  earned  in  pur 
chasing  the  tools  necessary  to  enable  me  to  carry  on 
my  trade.  I  occupied  all  my  leisure  hours,  for  several 
months  after  this,  in  making  wooden  trays,  and  such 
other  wooden  vessels  as  were  most  in  demand.  These 
I  traded  off,  in  part,  to  a  store-keeper,  who  lived  about 
five  miles  from  the  plantation  ;  and  for  some  of  my 


134  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

work  I  obtained  money.  Before  Christmas,  I  had  sold 
more  than  thirty  dollars  worth  of  my  manufactures  ; 
out  the  merchant  with  whom  I  traded,  charged  such 
high  prices  for  his  goods,  that  I  was  poorly  compen 
sated  for  my  Sunday  toils,  and  nightly  labors  ;  never 
theless,  by  these  means,  I  was  able  to  keep  our  family 
supplied  with  molasses,  and  some  other  luxuries,  and 
at  the  approach  of  winter,  I  purchased  three  coarse 
blankets,  to  which  Nero  added  as  many,  and  we  had 
all  these  made  up  into  blanket-coats  for  Dinah,  our 
selves,  and  the  children. 

About  ten  days  after  my  arrival,  we  had  a  great 
feast  at  the  quarter.  One  night,  after  we  had  returned 
from  the  field,  the  overseer  sent  for  me  by  his  little 
eon,  and  when  I  came  to  his  house,  he  asked  me  if  I 
understood  the  trade  of  a  butcher — I  told  him  I  was 
not  a  butcher  by  trade,  but  that  I  had  often  assisted 
my  master  and  others  to  kill  hogs  and  cattle,  and  that 
I  could  dress  a  hog,  or  a  bullock,  as  well  as  most  peo 
ple.  He  then  told  me  he  was  going  to  have  a  beef 
killed  in  the  morning  at  the  great  house,  and  I  must 
do  it — that  he  would  not  spare  any  of  the  hands  to  go 
with  me,  but  he  would  get  one  of  the  house-boys  to 
help  me. 

When  the  morning  came,  I  went,  according  to  orders, 
to  butcher  the  beef,  which  I  expected  to  find  in  some 
enclosure  on  the  plantation  ;  but  the  overseer  told  me 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          135 

I  must  take  a  boy  named  Toney  from  the  house,  whose 
businesr  it  was  to  take  care  of  the  cattle,  and  go  to 
the  woods  and  look  for  the  beef.  Toney  and  I  set  out 
sometime  before  sunrise,  and  went  to  a  cow-pen,  about 
a  mile  from  the  house,  where  he  said  he  had  seen  the 
young  cattle  only  a  day  or  two  before.  At  this  cow- 
pen,  we  saw  several  cows  waiting  to  be  milked,  I  sup 
pose,  for  their  calves  were  in  an  adjoining  field,  and 
separated  from  them  only  by  a  fence.  Toney  then  said, 
we  should  have  to  go  to  the  long  savanna,  where  the 
dry  cattle  generally  ranged,  and  thither  we  set  off. — 
This  long  savanna  lay  at  the  distance  of  three  miles 
from  the  cow-pen,  and  when  we  reached  it,  I  found  it 
to  be  literally  what  it  was  called,  a  long  savanna.  It 
was  a  piece  of  low,  swampy  ground,  several  miles  in 
extent,  with  an  open  space  in  the  interior  part  of  it, 
about  a  mile  long,  and  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
width.  It  was  manifest  that  this  open  space  was 
covered  with  water  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  which  prevented  the  growth  of  timber  in  this 
place  ;  though  at  the  time  it  was  dry,  except  a  pond 
near  one  end,  which  covered,  perhaps,  an  acre  of  ground. 
In  this  natural  meadow  every  kind  of  wild  grass,  com 
mon  to  such  places  in  the  southern  country,  abounded. 
Here  I  first  saw  the  scrub  and  saw  grasses — the  first 
of  which  is  so  hard  and  rough,  that  it  is  gathered  to 
scrub  coarse  wooden  furniture,  or  even  pewter  ;  and 


136  Fifty  Years  .n  Chains  ;  or, 

the  last  is  provided  with  edges,  somewhat  like  saw 
teeth,  so  hard  and  sharp  that  it  would  soon  tear  the 
skin  off  the  legs  of  any  one  who  should  venture  to  walk 
through  it  with  bare  limbs. 

As  we  entered  this  savanna,  we  were  enveloped  in 
clouds  of  musquitos,  and  swarms  of  galinippers,  that 
threatened  to  devour  us.  As  we  advanced  through 

O 

the  grass,  they  rose  up  until  the  air  was  thick,  and 
actually  darkened  with  them.  They  rushed  upon  us 
with  the  fury  of  yellow-jackets,  whose  hive  has  been 
broken  in  upon,  and  covered  every  part  of  our  persons. 
The  clothes  I  had  on,  which  were  nothing  but  a  shirt 
and  trowsers  of  tow  linen,  afforded  no  protection  even 
against  the  musquitos,  which  were  much  larger  than 
those  found  along  the  Chesapeake  Bay  ;  and  nothing 
short  of  a  covering  of  leather  could  have  defended  me 
against  the  galinippers. 

I  was  pierced  by  a  thousand  stings  at  a  time,  and 
verily  believe  I  could  not  have  lived  beyond  a  few  hours 
in  this  place.  Toney  ran  into  the  pond,  and  rolled 
himself  in  the  water  to  get  rid  of  his  persecutors  ;  but 
he  had  not  been  long  there  before  he  came  running  out, 
as  fast  as  he  had  gone  in,  hallooing  and  clamoring  in 
a  manner  wholly  unintelligible  to  me.  He  was  terri 
bly  frightened  ;  but  I  could  not  imagine  what  could 
be  the  cause  of  his  alarm,  until  he  reached  the  shore, 
when  he  turned  round  with  his  face  to  the  water,  and 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          137 

called  out — "  the  biggest  alligator  in  the  whole  world — 
did  not  you  see  him  ?"  I  told  him  I  had  not  seen 
anything  but  himself  in  the  water ;  but  he  insisted 
that  he  had  been  chased  in  the  pond  by  an  alligator, 
which  had  followed  him  until  he  was  close  in  the  shore. 
We  waited  a  few  minutes  for  the  alligator  to  rise  to  the 
surface,  but  were  soon  compelled  by  the  musquitos,  to 
quit  this  place. 

Toney  said,  we  need  not  look  for  the  cattle  here  ; 
no  cattle  could  live  amongst  these  musquitos,  and  I 
thought  he  was  right  in  his  judgment.  We  then  pro 
ceeded  into  the  woods  and  thickets,  and  after  wander 
ing  about  for  an  hour  or  more,  we  found  the  cattle^ 
and  after  much  difficulty  succeeded  in  driving  a  part 
of  them  back  to  the  cow-pen,  and  enclosing  them  in  it. 
I  here  selected  the  one  that  appeared  to  me  to  be  the 
fattest,  and  securing  it  with  ropes,  we  drove  the  ani 
mal  to  the  place  of  slaughter. 

This  beef  was  intended  as  a  feast  for  the  slaves,  at  the 
laying  by  of  the  corn  and  cotton  ;  and  wjien  I  had  it 
hung  up,  and  had  taken  the  hide  off,  my  young  mas 
ter,  whom  I  had  seen  on  the  day  of  my  arrival,  came 
out  to  me,  and  ordered  me  to  cut  off  the  head,  neck, 
legs,  and  tail,  and  lay  them,  together  with  the  empty 
stomach  and  the  harslet,  in  a  basket.  This  basket 
was  sent  home,  to  the  kitchen  of  the  great  house,  by  a 
woman  and  a  boy,  who  attended  for  that  purpose.  I 


138  Fifty  Years  in  Chains]  or, 

think  there  was  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty  or 
thirty  pounds  of  this  offal.  The  residue  of  the  carcass 
I  cut  into  four  quarters,  and  we  carried  it  to  the  cellar 
of  the  great  house.  Here  one  of  the  hind  quarters  was 
salted  in  a  tub,  for  the  use  of  the  family,  and  the  other 
was  sent,  as  a  present,  to  a  planter,  who  lived  about 
four  miles  distant.  The  two  fore-quarters  were  cut 
into  very  small  pieces,  and  salted  by  themselves. — 
These,  I  was  told,  would  be  cooked  for  our  dinner  on 
the  next  day  (Sunday)  when  there  was  to  be  a  general 
rejoicing  among  all  the  slaves  of  the  plantation. 

After  the  beef  was  salted  down,  I  received  some 
bread  and  milk  for  my  breakfast,  and  went  to  join  the 
hands  in  the  corn  field,  where  they  were  now  harrow 
ing  and  hoeing  the  crop  for  the  last  time.  The  over 
seer  had  promised  us  that  we  should  have  holiday  after 
the  completion  of  this  work,  and  by  great  exertion, 
we  finished  it  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

On  our  return  to  the  quarter,  the  overseer,  at  roll- 
call — which  he  performed  this  day  before  night — told 
us  that  every  family  must  send  a  bowl  to  the  great 
house,  to  get  our  dinners  of  meat.  This  intelligence 
diffused  as  much  joy  amongst  us,  as  if  each  one  had 
drawn  a  prize  in  a  lottery.  At  the  assurance  of  a  meat 
dinner,  the  old  people  smiled  and  showed  their  teeth, 
and  returned  thanks  to  master  overseer  ;  but  many  of 
the  younger  ones  shouted,  clapped  their  hands,  leaped, 
and  ran  about  with  delight. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          139 

Each  family,  or  mess,  now  sent  its  deputy,  with  a 
large  wooden  bowl  in  his  hand,  to  receive  the  dinner 
at  the  great  kitchen.  I  went  on  the  part  of  our  family, 
and  found  that  the  meat  dinner  of  this  day  was  made 
up  of  the  basket  of  tripe,  and  other  offal,  that  I  had 
prepared  in  the  morning.  The  whole  had  been  boiled 
in  four  great  iron  kettles,  until  the  flesh  had  disap 
peared  from  the  bones,  which  were  broken  in  small 
pieces — a  flitch  of  bacon,  some  green  corn,  squashes, 
tomatos,  and  onions  had  been  added,  together  with 
other  condiments,  and  the  whole  converted  into  about 
a  hundred  gallons  of  soup,  of  which  I  received  in  my 
bowl,  for  the  use  of  our  family,  more  than  two  gallons. 
We  had  plenty  of  bread,  and  a  supply  of  black-eyed 
peas,  gathered  from  our  garden,  some  of  which  Dinah 
had  boiled  in  our  kettle,  whilst  I  was  gone  for  the  soup, 
of  which  there  was  as  much  as  we  could  consume,  and 
I  believe  that  every  one  in  the  quarter  had  enough. 

I  doubt  if  there  was  in  the  world  a  happier  assem 
blage  than  ours,  on  this  Saturday  evening.  We  had 
finished  one  of  the  grand  divisions  of  the  labors  of  a 
cotton  plantation,  and  were  supplied  with  a  dinner, 
which  to  the  most  of  my  fellow  slaves  appeared  to  be 
a  great  luxury,  and  most  liberal  donation  on  the  part 
of  our  master,  whom  they  regarded  with  sentiments  of 
gratitude  for  this  manifestation  of  his  bounty. 

In  addition  to  present  gratification,  they  looked  for- 


140  Fifty   Tears  in  Oliains  ;  or, 

ward  to  the  enjoyments  of  the  next  day,  when  they 
were  to  spend  a  whole  Sunday  in  rest  and  banqueting ; 
for  it  was  known  that  the  two  fore-quarters  of  the 
bullock  were  td  be  dressed  for  Sunday's  dinner,  and  I 
had  told  them  that  each  of  these  quarters  weighed  at 
least  one  hundred  pounds. 

Our  quarter  knew  but  little  quiet  this  night ;  sing 
ing,  playing  on  the  banjo,  and  dancing,  occupied  nearly 
the  whole  community,  until  the  break  of  day.  Those 
who  were  too  old  to  take  any  part  in  our  active  plea 
sures,  beat  time  with  their  hands,  or  recited  stories  of 
former  times.  Most  of  these  stories  referred  to  affairs 
that  had  been  transacted  in  Africa,  and  were  sufficiently 
fraught  with  demons,  miracles,  and  murders,  to  fix  the 
attention  of  many  hearers. 

To  add  to  our  happiness,  the  early  peaches  were  now 
ripe,  and  the  overseer  permitted  us  to  send,  on  Sunday 
morning,  to  the  orchard,  and  gather  at  least  ten  bushels 
of  very  fine  fruit. 

In  South  Carolina  they  have  very  good  summer 
apples,  but  they  fall  from  the  trees,  and  rot  immedi 
ately  after  they  are  ripe  ;  'ndeed,  very  often  they  speck- 
rot  on  the  trees,  before  they  become  ripe.  This  "  speck- 
rot,"  as  it  is  termed,  appears  to  be  a  kind  of  epidemic 
disease  amongst  apples  ;  for  in  some  seasons  whole 
orchards  are  subject  to  it,  and  the  fruit  is  totally 
worthless,  whilst  in  othei  years,  the  fruit  in  the  same 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  141 


orchard  continues  sound  and  good,  until  it  is  ripe. 
The  climate  of  Carolina  is,  however,  not  favorable  to 
the  apple,  and  this  fruit  of  so  much  value  in  the  north, 
is  in  the  cotton  region  only  of  a  few  weeks  continu 
ance — winter  apples  beisg  unknown.  Every  climate 
is  congenial  to  the  growth  of  some  kind  of  fruit  tree  ; 
und  in  Carolina  and  Georgia,  the  peach  arrives  at  its 
utmost  perfection ;  the  fig  also  ripens  well,  and  is  a 
delicious  fruit. 

None  of  our  people  went  out  to  work  for  wages,  to 
day.  Some  few  devoted  a  part  of  the  morning  to  such 
work  as  they  deemed  necessary  in  or  about  their  patches, 
and  some  went  to  the  woods,  or  the  swamps,  to  collect 
sticks  for  brooms,  and  splits,  or  to  gather  flags  for  mats  ; 
but  far  the  greater  number  remained  at  the  quarter,  oc 
cupied  in  some  small  work,  or  quietly  awaiting  the  hour 
of  dinner,  which  we  had  been  informed,  by  one  of  the 
house-servants,  would  be  at  one  o'clock.  Every  family 
made  ready  some  preparation  of  vegetables,  from  their 
own  garden,  to  enlarge  the  quantity,  if  not  to  heighten 
the  flavor  of  the  dinner  of  this  day. 

One  o'clock  at  length  arrived,  but  not  before  it  had 
been  long  desired  ;  and  we  proceeded  with  our  bowls  a 
second  time,  to  the  great  kitchen.  I  acted,  as  I  had 
done  yesterday,  the  part  of  commissary  for  our  family  ; 
but  when  we  were  already  at  the  place  where  we  were 
to  receive  our  soup  and  meat  into  our  bowls,  (for  it 


142  Fifty  Years  :n  Chains;  or, 

was  understood  that  we  were,  with  the  soup,  to  have 
an  allowance  of  both  beef  and  bacon  to-day,)  we  were 
told  that  puddings  had  been  boiled  for  us,  and  that  we 
must  bring  dishes  to  receive  them  in.  This  occasioned 
some  delay,  until  we  obtained  vessels  from  the  quarter. 
In  addition  to  at  least  two  gallons  of  soup,  about  a 
pound  of  beef,  and  a  small  piece  of  bacon,  I  obtained 
nearly  two  pounds  of  pudding,  made  of  corn  meal, 
mixed  with  lard,  and  boiled  in  large  bags.  This  pud 
ding,  with  the  molasses  that  we  had  at  home,  formed  a 
very  palatable  second  course  to  our  bread,  soup,  and 
vegetables. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  we  had  a  meeting,  at  which 
many  of  our  party  attended.  A  man  named  Jacob, 
who  had  come  from  Virginia,  sang  and  prayed  ;  but  a 
great  many  of  the  people  went  out  about  the  planta 
tion,  in  search  of  fruits ;  for  there  were  many  peach 
and  some  fig  trees,  standing  along  the  fences,  on  vari 
ous  parts  of  the  estate.  With  us,  this  was  a  day  of 
uninterrupted  happiness. 

A  man  cannot  well  be  miserable  when  he  sees  every 
one  about  him  immersed  in  pleasure  ;  and  though  our 
fare  of  to-day  was  not  of  a  quality  to  yield  rne  much 
gratification,  yet  such  was  the  impulse  given  to  my 
feelings,  by  the  universal  hilarity  and  contentment 
which  prevailed  amongst  my  fellows,  that  I  forgot  foi 
the  time  all  the  subjects  of  grief  that  were  stored  io 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          143 

my  memory,  all  the  acts  of  wrong  that  had  been  per 
petrated  against  me,  and  entered  with  the  most  sin 
cere  and  earnest  sentiments  in  the  participation  of  the 
felicity  of  our  community. 


144  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


AT  the  time  of  which  I  now  speak,  the  rice  was  ripe, 
and  ready  to  be  gathered.  On  Monday  morning,  after 
our  feast,  the  overseer  took  the  whole  of  us  to  the  rice 
field,  to  enter  upon  the  harvest  of  this  crop.  The  field 
lay  in  a  piece  of  low  ground,  near  the  river,  and  in 
such  a  position  that  it  could  be  flooded  by  the  water 
of  the  stream,  in  wet  seasons.  The  rice  is  planted  in 
drills,  or  rows,  and  grows  more  like  oats  than  any  of 
the  other  grain  known  in  the  north. 

The  water  is  sometimes  let  in  to  the  rice  fields,  and 
drawn  off  again,  several  times,  according  to  the  state 
of  the  weather.  Watering  and  weeding  the  rice  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  occupations  on 
a  southern  plantation,  as  the  people  are  obliged  to  live 
for  several  weeks  in  the  mud  and  water,  subject  to  all 
the  unwholesome  vapors  that  arise  from  stagnant 
pools,  under  the  rays  of  a  summer  sun,  as  well  as  the 
chilly  autumnal  dews  of  night.  At  the  time  we  came 
to  cut  this  rice,  the  field  was  quite  dry  ;  and  after  we 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          145 

had  reaped  and  bound  it,  we  hauled  it  upon  wagons,  to 
a  piece  of  hard  ground,  where  we  made  a  threshing 
floor,  and  threshed  it.  In  some  places,  they  tread  out 
the  rice,  with  mules  or  horses,  as  they  tread  wheat  in 
Maryland ;  but  this  renders  the  grain  dusty,  and  is  in 
jurious  to  its  sale. 

After  getting  in  the  rice,  we  were  occupied  for  some 
time  in  clearing  and  ditching  swampy  land,  prepara 
tory  to  a  more  extended  culture  of  rice  the  next  year  ; 
and  about  the  first  of  August,  twenty  or  thirty  of  the 
people,  principally  women  and  children,  were  employed 
for  two  weeks  in  making  cider,  of  apples  which  grew 
in  an  orchard  of  nearly  two  hundred  trees,  that  stood 
on  a  part  of  the  estate.  After  the  cider  was  made,  a 
barrel  of  it  was  one  day  brought  to  the  field,  and 
distributed  amongst  us  ;  but  this  gratuity  was  not 
repeated.  The  cider  that  was  made  by  the  people 
was  converted  into  brandy,  at  a  still  in  the  comer  of 
the  orchard. 

I  often  obtained  cider  to  drink,  at  the  still,  which 
was  sheltered  from  the  weather  by  a  shed,  of  boards 
and  slabs.  We  were  not  permitted  to  go  into  the 
orchard  at  pleasure  ;  but  as  long  as  the  apples  contin 
ued,  we  were  allowed  the  privilege  of  sending  five  or 
six  persons  every  evening,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
apples  to  the  quarter,  for  our  common  use ;  and  by 

7 


146  Fifty   Yeats  in  Chains  ;  or, 

taking  large  baskets,  and  filling  them  well,  we  gener 
ally  contrived  to  get  as  many  as  we  could  consume. 

When  the  peaches  ripened,  they  were  guarded  with 
more  rigor — peach  brandy  being  an  article  which  is 
nowhere  more  highly  prized  than  in  South  Carolina. 
There  were  on  the  plantation  more  than  a  thousand 
peach  trees,  growing  on  poor  sandy  fields,  which  were 
no  longer  worth  the  expense  of  cultivation.  The  best 
peaches  grow  upon  the  poorest  sand-hills. 

We  were  allowed  to  take  three  bushels  of  peaches 
every  day,  for  the  use  of  the  quarter  ;  but  we  could, 
and  did  eat  at  least  three  times  that  quantity,  for  we 
stole  at  night  that  which  wras  not  given  us  by  day.  I 
confess  that  I  took  part  in  these  thefts,  and  I  do  not 
feel  that  I  committed  any  wrong,  against  either  God 
or  man,  by  my  participation  in  the  common  danger 
that  we  ran,  for  we  well  knew  the  consequences  that 
would  have  followed  detection. 

After  the  feast  at  laying  by  the  corn  and  cotton,  we 
had  no  meat  for  several  weeks  ;  and  it  is  my  opinion 
that  our  master  lost  money  by  the  economy  he  prac 
tised  at  this  season  of  the  year. 

I  now  entered  upon  a  new  scene  of  life.  My  true 
value  had  not  jet  been  ascertained  by  my  present 
owner  ;  and  whether  I  was  to  hold  the  rank  of  a  first 
or  second  rate  hand,  could  only  be  determined  by  an 
experience  of  my  ability  to  pick  cotton. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          147 

I  had  ascertained  that  at  the  hoe,  the  spade,  the 
sickle,  or  the  flail,  I  was  a  full  match  for  the  best  hands 
on  the  plantation  ;  but  soon  discovered  when  we  came 
to  cotton  picking  I  was  not  equal  to  a  boy  of  fifteen. 
I  worked  hard  the  first  day,  but  when  evening  came, 
and  our  cotton  was  weighed,  I  had  only  thirty-eight 
pounds,  and  was  vexed  to  see  that  two  young  men, 
about  my  own  age,  had,  one  fifty-eight,  and  the  other 
fifty-nine  pounds.  This  was  our  first  day's  work,  and 
the  overseer  had  not  yet  settled  the  amount  of  a  day's 
picking.  It  was  necessary  for  him  to  ascertain,  by  the 
experience  of  a  few  days,  how  much  the  best  hands 
could  pick  in  a  day,  before  he  established  the  standard 
of  the  season.  I  hung  down  my  head,  and  felt  very 
much  ashamed  of  myself  when  I  found  that  my  cotton 
was  so  far  behind  that  of  many,  even  of  the  women, 
who  had  heretofore  regarded  me  as  the  strongest  and 
most  powerful  man  of  the  whole  gang. 

I  had  exerted  myself  to-day  to  the  utmost  of  my 
power  ;  and  aj  the  picking  of  cotton  seemed  to  be  so 
very  simple  a  business,  I  felt  apprehensive  that  I  should 
never  be  able  to  improve  myself,  so  far  as  to  become 
even  a  second  rate  hand.  In  this  posture  of  affairs,  I 
looked  forward  to  something  still  more  painful  than 
the  loss  of  character  which  I  must  sustain,  both  with 
my  fellows  and  my  master  ;  for  I  knew  that  the  lash 
of  the  overseer  would  socn  become  familiar  with  my 


148  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

back,  if  I  did  not  perform  as  much  work  as  any  of  the 
other  ycung  men. 

I  expected  indeed  that  it  would  go  hard  with  me 
even  now,  and  stood  by  with  feelings  of  despondence 
and  terror,  vhilst  the  other  people  were  getting  their 
cotton  weighed.  When  it  was  all  weighed,  the  over- 
Beer  came  to  me  where  I  stood,  and  told  me  to  show 
him  my  hands.  When  I  had  done  this,  and  he  had 
looked  at  them,  he  observed — "  You  have  a  pair  of 
good  hands — you  will  make  a  good  picker."  This 
faint  praise  of  the  overseer  revived  my  spirits  greatly, 
nnd  I  went  home  with  a  lighter  heart  than  I  had  ex 
pected  to  possess,  before  the  termination  of  cotton- 
picking. 

When  I  came  to  get  my  cotton  weighed,  on  the 
evening  of  the  second  day,  I  was  rejoiced  to  find  that 
I  had  forty-six  pounds,  although  I  had  not  worked 
'aarder  than  I  did  the  first  day.  On  the  third  evening 
I  had  fifty-two  pounds  ;  and  before  the  end  of  the 
week,  there  were  only  three  hands  in  the  field — two 
men  and  a  young  woman — who  could  pick  more  cotton 
in  a  day  than  I  could. 

On  the  Monday  morning  of  the  second  week,  when 
we  went  to  the  field,  the  overseer  told  us  that  he  fixed 
the  day's  work  at  fifty  pounds  ;  and  that  all  those  who 
picked  more  than  that,  would  be  paid  a  cent  a  pound 
for  the  overplus.  Twenty-five  pounds  was  assigned  as 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          149 

the  daily  task  of  the  old  people,  as  well  as  a  number 
of  boys  and  girls,  whilst  some  of  the  women,  who  had 
children,  were  required  to  pick  forty  pounds,  and  sev 
eral  children  had  ten  pounds  each  as  their  task. 

Picking  of  cotton  may  almost  be  reckoned  among 
the  arts.  A  man  who  has  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  before  he  sees  a  cotton  field,  will  never,  in  the  lan 
guage  of  the  overseer,  become  a  crack  picker. 

By  great  industry  and  vigilance,  I  was  able,  at  the 
end  of  a  month,  to  return  every  evening  a  few  pounds 
over  the  daily  rate,  for  which  I  received  my  pay  ;  but 
the  business  of  picking  cotton  was  a  fatiguing  labor  to 
me,  and  one  to  which  I  never  became  reconciled,  for 
the  reason  that  in  every  other  kind  of  work  I  was  called 
a  first  rate  hand,  whilst  in  cotton  picking  I  was  hardly 
regarded  as  a  prime  hand. 


150  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    IX. 

IT  is  impossible  to  reconcile  the  mind  of  the  native 
slave  to  the  idea  of  living  in  a  state  of  perfect  equality, 
and  boundless  affection,  with  the  white  people.  Heaven 
will  be  no  heaven  to  him,  if  he  is  not  to  be  avenged  of 
his  enemies.  I  know,  from  experience,  that  these  are 
the  fundamental  rules  of  his  religious  creed  ;  because 
I  learned  them  in  the  religious  meetings  of  the  slaves 
themselves.  A  favorite  and  kind  master  or  mistress, 
may  now  and  then  be  admitted  into  heaven,  but  this 
rather  as  a  matter  of  favor,  to  the  intercession  of  some 
slave,  than  as  matter  of  strict  justice  to  the  whites, 
who  will,  by  no  means,  be  of  an  equal  rank  with  those 
who  shall  be  raised  from  the  depths  of  misery,  in  this 
world. 

The  idea  of  a  revolution  in  the  conditions  of  the 
whites  and  the  blacks,  is  the  corner-stone  of  the  re 
ligion  of  the  latter ;  and  indeed,  it  seems  to  me,  at 
least,  to  be  quite  natural,  if  not  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  precepts  of  the  Bible  ;  for  in  that  book  I  find 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          151 

it  every  where  laid  down,  that  those  who  have  possess 
ed  an  inordinate  portion  of  the  good  things  of  this 
world,  and  have  lived  in  ease  and  luxury,  at  the  ex 
pense  of  their  fellow  men  will  surely  have  to  render  an 
.account  of  their  stewardship,  and  be  punished,  for 
having  withheld  from  others  the  participation  of  those 
blessings,  which  they  themselves  enjoyed. 

There  is  no  subject  which  presents  to  the  mind  of 
the  male  slave  a  greater  contrast  between  his  own  con 
dition  and  that  of  his  master,  than  the  relative  station 
and  appearance  of  his  wife  and  his  mistress.  The  one, 
poorly  clad,  poorly  fed,  and  exposed  to  all  the  hard 
ships  of  the  cotton  field  ;  the  other  dressed  in  clothes 
of  gay  and  various  colors,  ornamented  with  jewelry, 
and  carefully  protected  from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and 
the  blasts  of  the  wind. 

As  I  have  before  observed,  the  Africans  have  feelings 
peculiar  to  themselves  ;  but  with  an  American  slave, 
the  possession  of  the  spacious  house,  splendid  furniture, 
and  fine  horses  of  his  master,  are  but  the  secondary 
objects  of  his  desires.  To  fill  the  measure  of  his  happi 
ness,  and  crown  his  highest  ambition,  his  young  and 
beautiful  mistress  must  adorn  his  triumph,  and  enliven 
his  hopes. 

I  have  been  drawn  into  the  above  reflections,  by  the 
recollection  of  an  event  of  a  most  melancholy  character, 
which  took  place  when  I  had  been  on  this  plantation 


152  Fifty  Years  in  Chains',  or, 

about  three  months.  Amongst  the  house-servants  of 
my  master,  was  a  young  man,  named  Hardy,  of  a  dark 
yellow  complexion — a  quadroon,  or  mulatto — one- 
fourth  of  whose  blood  was  transmitted  from  white 
parentage. 

Hardy  was  employed  in  various  kinds  of  work  about 
the  house,  and  was  frequently  sent  of  errands  ;  some 
times  on  horseback.  I  had  become  acquainted  with 
the  boy,  who  had  often  come  to  see  me  at  the  quarter, 
and  had  sometimes  staid  all  night  with  me,  and  often 
told  me  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  who'  visited  at 
the  great  house. 

Amongst  others,  he  frequently  spoke  of  a  young 
*lady,  who  resided  six  or  seven  miles  from  the  planta 
tion,  and  often  came  to  visit  the  daughters  of  the  family, 
in  company  with  her  brother,  a  lad  about  twelve  or 
fourteen  years  of  age.  He  described  the  great  beauty 
of  this  girl,  whose  mother  was  a  widow,  living  on  a  small 
estate  of  her  own.  This  lady  did  not  keep  a  carriage  ; 
but  her  son  and  daughter,  when  they  went  abroad, 
traveled  on  horseback. 

One  Sunday,  these  two  young  people  came  to  visit 
at  the  house  of  my  master,  and  remained  until  after 
tea  in  the  evening.  As  I  did  not  go  out  to  work  that 
day,  I  went  over  to  the  great  house,  and  from  the 
house  to  a  place  in  the  woods,  about  a  mile  distant, 
where  I  had  set  snares  for  rabbits.  This  place  was 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          153 

near  the  road,  and  I  saw  the  young  lady  and  her  bro 
ther  on  their  way  home.  It  was  after  sundown  when 
they  passed  me  ;  but,  as  the  evening  was  clear  and 
pleasant,  I  supposed  they  would  get  home  soon  after 
dark,  and  that  no  accident  would  befall  them. 

No  more  was  thought  of  the  matter  this  evening, 
and  I  heard  nothing  further  of  the  young  people  until 
the  next  day,  about  noon,  when  a  black  boy  came  into 
the  field,  where  we  were  picking  cotton,  and  went  to 
the  overseer  with  a  piece  of  paper.  In  a  short  timo 
the  overseer  called  me  to  come  with  him  ;  and,  leaving 
the  field  with  the  hands  under  the  orders  of  Simon, 
the  first  captain,  we  proceeded  to  the  great  house. 

As  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  mansion,  my  master, 
who  had  not  spoken  to  me  since  the  day  we  came  from 
Columbia,  appeared  at  the  front  door,  and  ordered  me 
to  come  in  and  follow  him.  He  led  me  through  a 
part  of  the  house,  and  passed  into  the  back  yard,  where 
I  saw  the  young  gentleman,  his  son,  another  gentleman 
whom  I  did  not  know,  the  family  doctor,  and  the  over 
seer,  all  standing  together,  and  in  earnest  conversation. 
At  my  appearance,  the  overseer  opened  a  cellar  door, 
and  ordered  me  to  go  in.  I  had  no  suspicion  of  evil, 
and  obeyed  the  order  immediately  :  as,  indeed,  I  must 
have  obeyed  it,  whatever  might  have  been  my  suspicions. 

The  overseer,  and  the  gentlemen,  all  followed  ;  and 

as  soon  as  the  cellar  door  was  closed  after  us,  by  some 

1* 


154  Fifty  Yecw  s  in  Chains  ;  or, 

one  whom  I  could  not  see,  I  was  ordered  to  pull  off  my 
clothes,  and  lie  down  on  my  back.  I  was  then  bound 
by  the  hands  and  feet,  with  strong  cords,  and  extend 
ed  at  full  length  between  two  of  the  beams  that  sup- 
pprted  the  timbers  of  the  building. 

The  stranger,  who  I  now  observed  was  much  agita 
ted,  spoke  to  the  doctor,  who  then  opened  a  small  case 
of  surgeons'  instruments,  which  he  took  from  his 
pocket,  and  told  me  he  was  going  to  skin  me  for  what 
I  had  done  last  night :  "  But,"  said  the  doctor,  "  be 
fore  you  are  skinned,  you  had  better  confess  your 
crime/'  "  What  crime,  master,  shall  I  confess  ?  I 
have  committed  no  crime — what  has  been  done,  that 
you  are  going  to  murder  me  ?"  was  my  reply.  My 
master  then  asked  me  why  I  had  followed  the  young 
lady  and  her  brother,  who  went  from  the  house  the 
evening  before,  and  murdered  her  ?  Astonished  and 
terrified  at  the  charge  of  being  a  murderer,  I  knew  not 
what  to  say  ;  and  only  continued  the  protestations  of 
my  innocence,  and  my  entreaties  not  to  be  put  to  death. 
My  young  master  was  greatly  enraged  against  me,  and 
loaded  me  with  maledictions  and  imprecations ;  and 
his  father  appeared  to  be  as  well  satisfied  as  he  was  of 
my  guilt,  but  was  more  calm,  and  less  vociferous  in 
his  language. 

The  doctor,  during  this  time,  was  assorting  his  in- 
Btruments,  and  looking  at  me — then  stooping  down, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          155 

and  feeling  my  pulse,  he  said,  it  would  not  do  to  skin 
a  man  so  full  of  blood  as  I  was.  I  should  bleed  so 
much  that  he  could  not  see  to  do  his  work  ;  and  he 
should  probably  cut  some  large  vein,  or  artery,  by 
which  I  should  bleed  to  death  in  a  few  minutes ;  it 
was  necessary  to  bleed  me  in  the  arms  for  some  time, 
so  as  to  reduce  the  quantity  of  blood  that  was  in  me, 
before  taking  my  skin  off.  He  then  bound  a  string 
round  my  right  arm,  and  opened  a  vein  near  the  mid 
dle  of  the  arm,  from  which  the  blood  ran  in  a  large 
and  smooth  stream.  I  already  began  to  feel  faint, 
with  the  loss  of  blood,  when  the  cellar  door  was 
thrown  open,  and  several  persons  came  down,  with 
two  lighted  candles. 

I  looked  at  these  people  attentively,  as  they  came 
near  and  stood  around  me,  and  expressed  their  satis 
faction  at  the  just  and  dreadful  punishment  that  I 
was  about  to  undergo.  Their  faces  were  all  new  and 
unknown  to  me,  except  that  of  a  lad,  whom  I  recog 
nized  as  the  same  who  had  ridden  by  me,  the  preced 
ing  evening,  in  company  with  his  sister. 

My  old  master  spoke  to  this  boy  by  name,  and  told 
him  to  come  and  see  the  murderer  of  his  sister  receive 
his  due.  The  boy  was  a  pretty  youth,  and  wore  his 
hair  long,  on  the  top  of  his  head,  in  the  fashion  of  that 
day.  As  lie  came  round  near  my  head,  the  light  of  a 
candle,  which  the  doctor  held  in  his  hand,  shone  full 


156  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

in  my  face,  and  seeing  that  the  eyes  of  the  boy 
mine,  I  determined  to  make  one  more  effort  to  save 
my  life,  and  said  to  him,  in  as  calm  a  tone  as  I  could, 
"  Young  master,  did  I  murder  young  mistress,  your 
sister  ?"  The  youth  immediately  looked  at  my  mas 
ter,  and  said,  "  This  is  not  the  man — this  man  has 
short  wool,  and  he  had  long  wool,  like  your  Hardy." 
My  life  was  saved.  I  was  snatched  from  the  most 
horrible  of  tortures,  and  from  a  slow  and  painful  death. 
"I  was  unbound,  the  bleeding  of  my  arm  stopped,  and 
I  was  suffered  to  put  on  my  clothes,  and  go  up  into 
the  back  yard  of  the  house,  where  I  was  required  to 
tell  what  I  knew  of  the  young  lady  and  her  brother 
on  the  previous  day.  I  stated  that  I  had  seen  them 
in  the  court  yard  of  the  house,  at  the  time  I  was  in 
the  kitchen  ;  that  I  had  then  gone  to  the  woods,  to 
set  my  snares,  and  had  seen  them  pass  along  the  road 
near  me,  and  that  this  was  all  the  knowledge  I  had  of 
them.  The  boy  was  then  required  to  examine  me 
particularly,  and  ascertain  whether  I  was,  or  was  not, 
the  man  who  had  murdered  his  sister.  He  said  he  had 
not  seen  me  at  the  place  where  I  stated  I  was,  and 
that  he  was  confident  I  was  not  the  person  who  had 
attacked  him  and  his  sister.  That  my  hair,  or  wool, 
as  lie  called  it,  was  short ;  but  that  of  the  man  who 
committed  the  crime  was  long,  like  Hardy's,  and  that 
he  was  about  the  size  of  Hardy — not  so  large  as  I  was. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          157 

but  black  like  me,  and  not  yellow  like  Hardy.  Some 
one  now  asked  where  Hardy  was,  and  he  was  called  for, 
but  could  not  be  found  in  the  kitchen.  Persons  were 
sent  to  the  quarter,  and  other  places,  in  quest  of  him, 
but  returned  without  him.  Hardy  was  nowhere  to  be 
found.  Whilst  this  inquiry,  or  rather  search,  was 
going  on,  perceiving  that  my  old  master  had  ceased  to 
look  upon  me  as  a  murderer,  I  asked  him  to  please  to 
tell  me  what  had  happened,  that  had  been  so  near 
proving  fatal  to  me. 

I  was  now  informed  that  the  young  lady,  who  had 
left  the  house  on  the  previous  evening  in  company  with 
her  brother,  had  been  assailed  on  the  road,  about  four 
miles  off,  by  a  black  man,  who  had  sprung  from  a 
thicket,  and  snatched  her  from  her  horse,  as  she  was 
riding  a  short  distance  behind  her  brother.  That  the 
assassin,  as  soon  as  she  was  on  the  ground,  struck  her 
horse  a  blow  with  a  long  stick,  which,  together  with 
the  frighj;  caused  by  the  screams  of  its  rider  when  torn 
from  it,  had  caused  it  to  fly  off  at  full  speed  ;  arid  the 
horse  of  the  brother  also  taking  fright,  followed  in  pur 
suit,  notwithstanding  all  the  exertions  of  the  lad  to 
stop  it.  All  the  account  the  brother  could  give  of  the 
matter  was,  that  as  his  horse  ran  with  him,  he  saw  the 
negro  drag  his  sister  into  the  woods,  and  heard  her 
screams  for  a  short  time.  He  was  not  able  to  stop  his 
horse,  until  he  reached  home,  when  he  gave  informa- 


158  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

tion  to  his  mother  and  her  family.  That  people  had 
been  scouring  the  woods  all  night,  and  all  the  morn 
ing,  without  being  able  to  find  the  young  lady. 

When  intelligence  of  this  horrid  crime  was  brought 
to  the  house  of  my  master,  Hardy  was  the  first  to  re 
ceive  it ;  he  having  gone  to  take  the  horse  of  the  per 
son — a  young  gentleman  of  the  neighborhood — who 
bore  it,  and  who  immediately  returned  to  join  his 
friends  in  their  search  for  the  dead  body. 

As  soon  as  the  messenger  was  gone,  Hardy  had  come 
to  my  master,  and  told  him  that  if  he  would  prevent 
me  from  murdering  him,  he  would  disclose  the  perpe 
trator  of  the  crime.  He  was  then  ordered  to  commu 
nicate  all  he  knew  on  the  subject ;  and  declared  that, 
having  gone  into  the  woods  the  day  before,  to  hunt 
squirrels,  he  staid  until  it  was  late,  and  on  his  return 
home,  hearing  the  shrieks  of  a  woman,  he  had  pro 
ceeded  cautiously  to  the  place  ;  but  before  he  could 
arrive  at  the  spot,  the  cries  had  ceased  ;  nevertheless, 
he  had  found  me,  after  some  search,  with  the  body  of 
the  young  lady,  whom  I  had  just  killed,  and  that  I 
was  about  to  kill  him  too,  with  a  hickory  club,  but  he 
had  saved  his  life  by  promising  that  he  would  never 
betray  me.  He  was  glad  to  leave  me,  and  what  I  had 
done  with  the  body  he  did  not  know. 

Hardy  was  known  in  the  neighborhood,  and  his 
character  had  been  good.  I  was  a  stranger,  and  on 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  159 


inquiry,  the  black  people  in  the  kitchen  supported 
Hardy,  by  saying,  that  I  had  been  seen  going  to  the 
woods  before  night  by  the  way  of  the  road  which  the 
deceased  had  traveled.  These  circumstances  were 
deemed  conclusive  against  me  by  my  master  ;  and  as 
the  offence  of  which  I  was  believed  to  be  guilty  was  t 
the  highest  that  can  be  committed  by  a  slave,  accord 
ing  to  the  opinion  of  owners,  it  was  determined  to 
punish  me  in  a  way  unknown  to  the  law,  and  to  inflict 
tortures  upon  me  which  the  law  would  not  tolerate. 
I  was  now  released,  and  though  very  weak  from  the 
effects  of  bleeding,  I  was  yet  able  to  return  to  my  own 
lodgings. 

I  had  no  doubt  that  Hardy  was  the  perpetrator  of 
the  crime  for  which  I  was  so  near  losing  my  life  ;  and 
now  recollected  that  when  I  was  at  the  kitchen  of  the 
great  house  on  Sunday,  he  had  disappeared,  a  short 
time  before  sundown,  as  I  had  looked  for  him  when  I 
was  going  to  set  my  snares,  but  could  not  find  him. — 
I  went  back  to  the  house,  and  communicated  this  fact 
to  my  master. 

By  this  time,  nearly  twenty  white  men  had  collected 
about  the  dwelling,  with  the  intention  of  going  to 
search  for  the  body  of  the  lost  lady  ;  but  it  was  now 
resolved  to  make  the  look-out  double,  and  to  give  it 
the  two-fold  character  of  a  pursuit  of  the  living,  as  well 
as  a  seeking  for  the  dead 


160  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

I  now  returned  to  my  lodgings  in  the  quarter,  and 
soon  fell  into  a  profound  sleep,  from  which  I  did  not 
iwake  until  long  after  night,  when  all  was  quiet,  and 
the  stillness  of  undisturbed  tranquillity  prevailed  over 
our  little  community.  I  felt  restless,  and  sunk  into  a 
labyrinth  of  painful  reflections,  upon  the  horrid  and 
perilous  condition  from  which  I  had  this  day  escaped, 
as  it  seemed,  merely  by  chance  ;  and  as  I  slept  until 
all  sensations  of  drowsiness  had  left  me,  I  rose  from 
my  bed,  and  walked  out  by  the  light  of  the  moon, 
which  was  now  shining.  After  being  in  the  open  air 
some  time,  I  thought  of  the  snares  I  had  set  on  Sun 
day  evening,  and  determined  to  go  and  see  if  they  had 
taken  any  game.  I  sometimes  caught  oppossums  in 
my  snares  ;  and,  as  these  animals  were  very  fat  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  I  felt  a  hope  that  I  might  be  fortu 
nate  enough  to  get  one  to-night.  I  had  been  at  my 
snares,  and  had  returned,  as  far  as  the  road,  near 
where  I  had  seen  the  young  lady  and  her  brother  on 
horseback  on  Sunday  evening,  and  had  seated  myself 
under  the  boughs  of  a  holly  bush  that  grew  there.  It 
so  happened  that  the  place  where  I  sat  was  in  the 
shade  of  the  bush,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  road,  but 
screened  from  it  by  some  small  boughs.  In  this  posi 
tion,  which  I  had  taken  by  accident,  I  could  see  a 
great  distance  along  the  road,  towards  the  end  of  my 
master's  lane.  Though  covered  as  I  was  by  the  shade, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  161 

and  enveloped  in  boughs,  it  was  difficult  for  a  person 
in  the  road  to  see  me. 

The  occurrence  that  had  befallen  me,  in  the  course 
of  the  previous  day,  had  rendered  me  nervous,  and 
easily  susceptible  of  all  the  emotions  of  fear.  I  had 
not  been  long  in  this  place,  when  I  thought  I  heard 
sounds,  as  of  a  person  walking  on  the  ground  at  a  quick 
pace  ;  and  looking  along  the  road,  towards  the  lane  I 
saw  the  form  of  some  one,  passing  through  a  space  in 
the  road,  where  the  beams  of  the  moon,  piercing  be 
tween  two  trees,  reached  the  ground.  When  the  mov 
ing  body  passed  into  the  shade,  I  could  not  see  it ;  but 
in  a  short  time,  it  came  so  near  that  I  could  distinctly 
see  that  it  was  a  man,  approaching  me  by  the  road. 
When  he  came  opposite  me,  and  the  moon  shone  full 
in  his  face,  I  knew  him  to  be  a  young  mulatto,  named 
David,  the  coachman  of  a  widow  lady,  who  resided 
somewhere  near  Charleston  ;  but  who  had  been  at  the 
house  of  my  master,  for  two  or  three  weeks,  as  a  visiter, 
with  her  two  daughters. 

This  man  passed  on  at  a  quick  step,  without  observ 
ing  me  ;  and  the  suspicion  instantly  riveted  itself  in  my 
mind,  that  he  was  the  murderer,  for  whose  crime  I  had 
already  suffered  so  much,  and  that  he  was  now  on  his 
way  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  the  body,  for  the 
purpose  of  removing,  or  burying  it  in  the  earth.  I  was 
confident,  that  no  honest  purpose  could  bring  him  to 


162  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

this  place,  at  this  time  of  night,  alone.  I  was  about 
two  miles  from  home,  and  an  equal  distance  from  the 
spot  where  the  girl  had  been  seized. 

Of  her  subsequent  murder,  no  one  entertained  a 
doubt ;  for  it  was  not  to  be  expected,  that  the  fellow 
who  had  been  guilty  of  one  great  crime,  would  flinch 
from  the  commission  of  another,  of  equal  magnitude, 
and  suffer  his  victim  to  exist,  as  a  witness  to  identify 
his  person. 

I  felt  animated,  by  a  spirit  of  revenge,  against  the 
wretch,  whoever  he  might  be,  who  had  brought  me  so 
near  to  torture  and  death  ;  and  feeble  and  weak  as  I 
was,  resolved  to  pursue  the  foot-steps  of  this  coachman, 
at  a  wary  and  cautious  distance,  and  ascertain,  if  pos 
sible,  the  object  of  his  visit  to  these  woods,  at  this 
time  of  night. 

I  waited  until  he  had  passed  me  more  than  a  hun 
dred  yards,  and  until  I  could  barely  discover  his  form 
in  the  faint  light  of  the  deep  shade  of  the  trees,  when 
stealing  quietly  into  the  road,  I  followed,  with  the 
caution  of  a  spy  traversing  the  camp  of  an  enemy. — 
We  were  now  in  a  dark  pine  forest,  and  on  both  sides 
of  us  were  tracts  of  low,  swampy  ground,  covered  with 
thickets  so  dense  as  to  be  difficult  of  penetration  even 
by  a  per-son  on  foot.  The  road  led  along  a  neck  of 
elevated  and  dry  ground,  that  divided  these  swamps 
for  more  than  a  mile,  when  they  terminated,  and  were 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          163 

succeeded  by  ground  that  produced  scarcely  any  other 
timber  than  a  scrubby  kind  of  oak,  called  black  jack. 
It  was  amongst  these  black  jacks,  about  half  a  mile 
beyond  the  swamps,  that  the  lady  had  been  carried  off. 
I  had  often  been  here,  for  the  purpose  of  snaring  and 
trapping  the  small  game  of  these  woods,  and  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  topography  of  this  forest,  for  some 
distance,  on  both  sides  of  the  road. 

It  was  necessary  for  me  to  use  the  utmost  caution 
in  the  enterprise  I  was  now  engaged  in.  The  road 
we  were  now  traveling,  was  in  no  place  very  broad,  and 
at  some  points  barely  wide  enough  to  permit  a  carriage 
to  pass  between  the  trees^  that  lined  its  sides.  In  some 
places,  it  was  so  dark  that  I  could  not  see  the  man, 
whose  steps  I  followed  ;  but  was  obliged  to  depend  on 
the  sound,  produced  by  the  tread  of  his  feet,  upon  the 
ground.  I  deemed  it  necessary  to  keep  as  close  as 
possible  to  the  object  of  my  pursuit,  lest  he  should 
suddenly  turn  into  the  swamp,  on  one  side  or  the  other 
of  the  road,  and  elude  my  vigilance ;  for  I  had  no 
doubt  that  he  would  quit  the  road,  somewhere.  As 
we  approached  the  termination  of  the  low  grounds,  my 
anxiety  became  intense,  lest  he  should  escape  me  ;  and 
at  one  time,  I  could  not  have  been  more  than  one  hun 
dred  feet  behind  him ;  but  he  continued  his  course, 
until  he  reached  the  oak  woods,  and  came  to  a  place 
where  an  old  cart-road  led  off  to  the  left,  along  the  side 


164  Fifty  Yearn  in  Chains  ;  or, 

of  the  Dark  Swamp,  as  it  was  termed  in  the  neigh 
borhood. 

This  road,  the  mulatto  took,  without  turning  to 
look  behind  him.  Here  my  difficulties  and  perils  in 
creased,  for  I  now  felt  myself  in  danger,  as  I  had  no 
longer  any  doubt,  that  I  was  on  the  trail  of  the  mur 
derer,  and  that,  if  discovered  by  him,  my  life  would  be 
the  price  of  my  curiosity.  I  was  too  weak  to  be  able 
to  struggle  with  him,  for  a  minute  ;  though  if  the 
blood  which  I  had  lost,  through  his  wickedness,  could 
have  been  restored  to  my  veins,  I  could  have  seized 
him  by  the  neck,  and  strangled  him. 

The  road  I  now  had  to  travel,  was  so  little  frequen 
ted,  that  bushes  of  the  ground  oak  and  bilberry  stood 
thick  in  almost  every  part  of  it,  Many  of  these 
bushes  were  full  of  dry  leaves,  which  had  been  touch 
ed  by  the  frost,  but  had  not  yet  fallen.  It  was  easy 
for  me  to  follow  him,  for  I  pursued  by  the  noise  he 
made,  amongst  these  bushes  ;  but  it  was  not  so  easy 
for  me  to  avoid,  on  my  part,  the  making  of  a  rustling, 
and  agitation  of  the  bushes,  which  might  expose  me 
to  detection.  I  was  now  obliged  to  depend  wholly  on 
my  ears,  to  guide  my  pursuit,  my  eyes  being  occupied 
in  watching  my  own  way,  to  enable  me  to  avoid  every 
object,  the  touching  of  which  was  likely  to  produce 
sound. 

I  followed  this  road  more  than  a  mile,  led  by  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  165 

cracking  of  the  sticks,  or  the  shaking  of  the  leaves. 
At  length,  I  heard  a  loud,  shrill  whistle,  and  then  a 
total  silence  succeeded.  I  now  stood  still,  and  in  a 
few  seconds,  heard  a  noise  in  the  swamp  like  the 
drumming  of  a  pheasant.  Soon  afterwards,  I  heard 
the  breaking  of  sticks,  and  the  sounds  caused  by  the 
bending  of  branches  of  trees.  In  a  little  time,  I  was 
satisfied  that  something  having  life  was  moving  in  the 
swamp,  and  coming  towards  the  place  where  the  mu 
latto  stood. 

This  was  at  the  end  of  the  cart-road,  and  opposite 
some  large  pine  trees,  which  grew  in  the  swamp,  at 
the  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  yards  from  its 
margin.  The  noise  in  the  swamp  still  approached  us  ; 
and  at  length  a  person  came  out  of  the  thicket,  and 
stood  for  a  minute,  or  more,  with  the  mulatto  whom  I 
had  followed  ;  and  then  they  both  entered  the  swamp, 
and  took  the  course  of  the  pine  trees,  as  I  could  easily 
distinguish  by  my  ears. 

When  they  were  gone,  I  advanced  to  the  end  of  the 
road,  and  sat  down  upon  a  log,  to  listen  to  their  pro 
gress  through  the  swamp.  At  length,  it  seemed  that 
they  had  stopped,  for  I  no  longer  heard  any  thing  of 
them.  Anxious,  however,  to  ascertain  more  of  this 
mysterious  business,  I  remained  in  silence  on  the  log, 
determined  to  stay  there  until  day,  if  I  could  not  soon 
er  learn  something  to  satisfy  me.  why  these  men  had 


166  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

gone  into  the  swamp.  All  uncertainty  upon  this  sub 
ject  was,  however,  quickly  removed  from  my  mind  ; 
for  within  less  than  ten  minutes,  after  I  had  ceased 
to  hear  them  moving  in  the  thicket,  I  was  shocked 
by  the  faint,  but  shrill  wailings  of  a  female  voice,  ac 
companied  with  exclamations  and  supplications,  in  a 
tone  so  feeble  that  I  could  only  distinguish  a  few 
solitary  words. 

My  mind  comprehended  the  whole  ground  of  this 
matter,  at  a  glance.  The  lady  supposed  to  have  been 
murdered  on  Sunday  evening,  was  still  living ;  and 
concealed  by  the  two  fiends  who  had  passed  out  of  my 
sight  but  a  few  minutes  before.  The  one  I  knew,  for 
I  had  examined  his  features,  within  a  few  feet  of  me, 
in  the  full  light  of  the  moon  ;  and,  that  the  other  was 
Hardy,  I  was  as  perfectly  convinced,  as  if  I  had  seen 
him  also. 

I  now  rose  to  return  home  ;  the  cries  of  the  female 
in  the  swamp  still  continuing,  but  growing  weaker, 
and  dying  away,  as  I  receded  from  the  place  where  I 
had  sat. 

I  was  now  in  possession  of  the  clearest  evidence  of 
the  guilt  of  the  two  murderers  ;  but  I  was  afraid  to 
communicate  my  knowledge  to  my  master,  lest  he 
should  suspect  me  of  being  an  accomplice  in  this  crime  ; 
and,  if  the  lady  could  not  be  recovered  alive,  I  had  no 
doubt  that  Hardy  and  his  companion  wero  sufficient- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  167 

ly  depraved  to  charge  me  as  a  participation  with  them 
selves,  to  be  avenged  upon  me.  I  was  confident  that 
the  mulatto,  David,  would  return  to  the  house  before 
day,  and  be  found  in  his  bed  in  the  morning  ;  which 
he  could  easily  do,  for  he  slept  in  a  part  of  the  stable 
loft ;  under  pretence  of  being  near  the  horses  of  his 
mistress. 

I  thought  it  possible,  that  Hardy  might  also  return 
home  that  night,  and  endeavor  to  account  for  his 
absence  from  home  on  Monday  afternoon,  by  some  in 
genious  lie  ;  in  the  invention  of  which  I  knew  him  to 
be  very  expert.  In  this  case,  I  saw  that  I  should  have 
to  run  the  risk  of  being  overpowered  by  the  number 
of  my  false  accusers  ;  and,  as  I  stood  alone,  they 
might  yet  be  able  to  sacrifice  my  life,  and  escape  the 
punishment  due  to  their  crimes.  After  much  consid 
eration,  I  came  to  the  resolution  of  returning,  as  quick 
as  possible,  to  the  quarter — calling  up  the  overseer — 
and  acquainting  him  with  all  that  I  had  seen,  heard, 
and  done,  in  the  course  of  this  night. 

As  I  did  not  know  what  time  of  night  it  was  when 
I  left  my  bed,  I  was  apprehensive  that  day  might 
break  before  I  could  so  far  mature  my  plans  as  to  have 
persons  to  waylay  and  arrest  the  mulatto  on  his  return 
home  ;  but  when  I  roused  the  overseer,  he  told  me  it 
was  only  one  o'clock,  and  seemed  but  little  inclined  to 
credit  my  story ;  but,  after  talking  to  me  several 


168  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

minutes  he  told  me  he,  now  more  than  ever,  suspect 
ed  me  to  be  the  murderer,  but  he  would  go  with  me 
and  see  if  I  had  told  the  truth.  When  we  arrived 
at  the  great  house,  some  members  of  the  family  had 
not  yet  gone  to  bed,  having  been  kept  up  by  the  arri 
val  of  several  gentlemen  who  had  been  searching  tho 
woods  all  day  for  the  lost  lady,  and  who  had  come 
here  to  seek  lodgings  when  it  was  near  midnight. 
My  master  was  in  bed,  but  was  called  up  and  listened 
attentively  to  my  story — at  the  close  of  which  he  shook 

his  head,  and  said  with  an  oath,  "  You ,  I  believe 

you  to  be  the  murderer  ;  but  we  will  go  and  see  if  all 

vou  say  is  a  lie  ;  if  it  is,  the  torments  of will  bf 

pleasure  to  what  awaKs  you.  t  You  have  escaped  once, 
but  you  will  not  get  off  a  second  time/'  I  now  found 
that  somebody  must  die  ;  and  if  the  guilty  could  not 
be  found,  the  innocent  would  have  to  atone  for  them. 
The  manner  in  which  my  master  had  delivered  his 
words,  assured  me  that  the  life  of  somebody  must  be 
taken. 

This  new  danger  aroused  my  energies — -and  I  told 
them  that  I  was  ready  to  go,  and  take  the  conse 
quences.  Accordingly,  the  overseer,  my  young  master, 
and  three  other  gentlemen,  immediately  set  out  with 
me.  It  was  agreed  that  we  should  all  travel  on  foot, 
the  overseer  and  I  going  a  few  paces  in  advance  of  the 
others.  We  proceeded  silently,  but  rapidly,  on  our 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          169 

way  ;  and  as  we  passed  it,  I  shewed  them  the  place 
where  I  sat  under  the  holly  bush,  when  the  mulatto 
passed  me.  We  neither  saw  nor  heard  any  person  on 
the  road,  and  reached  the  log  at  the  end  of  the  cart- 
road,  where  I  sat  when  I  heard  the  cries  in  the  swamp. 
All  was  now  quiet,  and  our  party  lay  down  in  the 
bushes  on  each  side  of  a  large  gum  tree,  at  the  root  of 
which  the  two  murderers  stood  when  they  talked  to 
gether,  before  they  entered  the  thicket.  We  had  not 
been  here  more  than  an  hour,  when  I  heard,  as  I  lay 
with  my  head  near  the  ground,  a  noise  in  the  swamp, 
jvhich  I  believed  could  only  be  made  by  those  whom 
we  sought. 

I,  however,  said  nothing,  and  the  gentlemen  did  not 
hear  it.  It  was  caused,  as  I  afterwards  ascertained, 
by  dragging  the  fallen  branch  of  a  tree  along  the 
ground,  for  the  purpose  of  lighting  the  fire. 

The  night  was  very  clear  and  serene — its  silence 
only  being  broken  at  intervals  by  the  loud  hooting  of 
the  great  long-eared  owls,  which  are  numerous  in  these 
swamps.  I  felt  oppressed  by  the  cold,  and  was  glad 
to  hear  the  crowing  of  a  cock,  at  a  great  distance, 
announcing  the  approach  of  day.  This  was  followed, 
after  a  short  interval,  by  the  cracking  of  sticks,  and  by 
other  tokens,  which  I  knew  could  proceed  only  from 
the  motions  of  living  bodies.  I  now  whispered  to  the 

8 


170  Fifty   Yearn  in  Chains  ;  or} 

overseer,  who  lay  near  me,  that  it  would  soon  appear 
whether  I  had  spoken  the  truth  or  not. 

All  were  now  satisfied  that  people  were  coming  out 
of  the  swamp,  for  we  heard  them  speak  to  each  other. 
I  desired  the  overseer  to  advise  the  other  gentlemen  to 
let  the  culprits  come  out  of  the  swamp,  and  gain  the 
high  ground,  before  we  attempted  to  seize  them  ;  Lut 
this  counsel  was,  unfortunately,  not  taken  ;  and  when 
they  came  near  to  the  gum  tree,  and  it  could  be  clearly 
seen  that  there  were  two  men  and  no  more,  one  of  the 
gentlemen  called  oat  to  them  to  stop,  or  they  were 
dead.  Instead,  however,  of  stopping,  they  both  sprang 
forward,  and  took  to  flight.  They  did  not  turn  into 
the  swamp,  for  the  gentleman  who  ordered  them  to 
stop,  was  in  their  rear— they  having  already  passed 
him.  At  the  moment  they  had  started  to  run,  each 
of  the  gentlemen  fired  two  pistols  at  them.  The  pis 
tols  made  the  forest  ring  on  all  sides  ;  and  I  supposed 
it  was  impossible  for  either  of  the  fugitives  to  escape 
from  so  many  balls.  This  was,  however,  not  the  case  ; 
for  only  one  of  them  was  injured.  The  mulatto, 
David,  had  one  arm  and  one  leg  broken,  and  fell  about 
ten  yards  from  us  ;  but  Hardy  escaped,  and  when  the 
smoke  cleared  away,  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  On 
being  interrogated,  David  acknowledged  that  the  lady 
was  in  the  swamp,  on  a  small  island,  and  was  yet  alive 
—that  he  and  Hardy  had  gone  from  the  house  on  Sun- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  171 

day,  for  the  purpose  of  waylaying  and  carrying  her  off, 
and  intended  to  kill  her  little  brother — this  part  of  the 
duty  being  assigned  to  him,  whilst  Hardy  was  to  drag 
the  sister  from  her  horse.  As  they  were  both  mulat 
tos,  they  blacked  their  faces  with  charcoal,  taken  from 
a  pine  stump  partially  burned.  The  boy  was  riding 
before  his  sister,  and  when  Hardy  seized  her  and  drag 
ged  her  from  her  horse,  she  screamed  and  frightened 
both  the  horses,  which  took  off  at  full  speed,  by  which 
means  the  boy  escaped.  Finding  that  the  boy  was  out 
of  his  reach,  David  remained  in  the  bushes  until  Hardy 
brought  the  sister  to  him.  They  immediately  tied  a 
handkerchief  round  her  face,  so  as  to  cover  her  mouth 
and  stifle  her  shrieks  ;  and  taking  her  in  their  arms, 
carried  her  back  toward  my  master's  house,  for  some 
distance,  through  the  woods,  until  they  came  to  the 
cart-road  leading  along  the  swamp.  They  then  fol 
lowed  this  road  as  far  as  it  led,  and,  turning  into  the 
swamp,  took  their  victim  to  a  place  they  had  prepared 
for  her  the  Sunday  before,  on  a  small  knoll  in  the 
swamp,  where  the  ground  was  dry. 

Her  hands  were  closely  confined,  and  she  was  tied 
by  the  feet  to  a  tree.  He  said  he  had  stolen  some 
bread,  and  taken  it  to  her  that  night ;  but  when  the} 
unbound  her  mouth  to  permit  her  to  eat,  she  only 
wept  anc  made  a  noise,  begging  them  to  release  her, 
until  they  were  obliged  again  to  bandage  her  mouth. 


172  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

It  was  now  determined  by  the  gentlemen,  that  as 
the  lady  was  still  alive,  we  ought  not  to  lose  a  moment 
in  endeavoring  to  rescue  her  from  her  dreadful  situa 
tion.  I  pointed  out  the  large  pine  trees,  in  the  direc 
tion  of  which  I  heard  the  cries  of  the  young  lady,  and 
near  which  I  believed  she  was — undertaking,  at  the 
same  time,  to  act  as  pilot,  in  penetrating  the  thicket. 
Three  of  the  gentlemen  and  myself  accordingly  set 
out,  leaving  the  other  two  with  the  wounded  mulatto 
with  directions  to  inform  us  when  we  deviated  from  a 
right  line  to  the  pine  trees.  This  they  were  able  to 
do  by  attending  to  the  noise  we  made,  with  nearly  as 
much  accuracy  as  if  they  had  seen  us. 

The  atmosphere  had  now  become  a  little  cloudy, 
and  the  morning  was  very  dark,  even  in  the  oak  woods  ; 
but  when  we  had  entered  the  thickets  of  the  swamp, 
all  objects  became  utterly  invisible  ;  and  the  obscurity 
was  as  total  as  if  our  eyes  had  been  closed.  Our  com 
panions  on  the  dry  ground  lost  sight  of  the  pine  trees, 
and  could  not  give  us  any  directions  in  our  journey. 
We  became  entangled  in  briers,  and  vines,  and  mats 
of  bushes,  from  which  the  greatest  exertions  were 
necessary  to  disengage  ourselves. 

It  was  so  dark,  that  we  could  not  see  the  fallen 
trees  ;"  and,  missing  these,  fell  into  quagmires,  and 
gioughs  of  mud  and  water,  into  which  we  sunk  up  to 
the  arm-pits,  and  from  which  we  were  able  to  extricate 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          173 

ourselves,  only  by  seizing  upon  the  hanging  branches 
of  the  surrounding  trees.  After  struggling  in  this 
half-drowned  condition,  for  at  least  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  we  reached  a  small  dry  spot,  where  the  gentle 
men  again  held  a  council,  as  to  ulterior  measures. 
They  called  to  those  left  on  the  shore,  to  know  if  we 
were  proceeding  toward  the  pine  trees ;  but  received 
for  answer  that  the  pines  were  invisible,  and  they  knew 
not  whether  we  were  right  or  wrong.  In  this  state  of 
uncertainty,  it  was  thought  most  prudent  to  wait  the 
coming  of  day,  in  our  present  resting-place. 

The  air  was  frosty,  and  in  our  wet  clothes,  loaded 
as  we  were  with  mud,  it  may  be  imagined  that  oui 
feelings  were  not  pleasant  ;  and  when  the  day  broke, 
it  brought  us  but  little  relief,  for  we  found,  as  soon  as 
it  was  light  enough  to  enable  us  to  see  around,  that 
we  were  on  one  of  those  insulated  dry  spots,  called  "tus- 
socks"  by  the  people  of  the  South.  These  tussocks 
are  formed  by  clusters  of  small  trees,  which,  taking  root 
in  the  mud,  are,  in  process  of  time,  surrounded  by  long 
grass,  which,  entwining  its  roots  with  those  of  the  trees, 
overspread  and  cover  the  surface  of  the  muddy  founda 
tion,  by  which  the  superstructure  is  supported.  These 
tussocks  are  often  several  yards  in  diameter.  That 
upon  which  we  now  were,  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
miry  pool,  into  which  we  were  again  obliged  to  L*unch 
ourselves,  and  struggle  onward  foi  a  distance  of  ten 


174  Fifty  Years  in  Chains]  or, 

yards,  before  we  reached  the  line  of  some  fallen  and 
decaying  trees. 

It  was  now  broad  daylight,  and  we  saw  the  pine 
trees,  at  the  distance  of  about  a  hundred  yards  from 
us  ;  but  even  with  the  assistance  of  the  light,  we  had 
great  difficulty  in  reaching  them, — to  do  which  we 
were  compelled  to  travel  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
by  the  angles  and  curves  of  the  fallen  timber,  upon 
which  alone  we  could  walk  ;  this  part  of  the  swamp 
being  a  vast  half-fluid  bog. 

It  was  sunrise  when  we  reached  the  pines,  which  we 
found  standing  upon  a  small  islet  of  firm  ground,  con 
taining,  as  well  as  I  could  judge,  about  half  an  acre, 
covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  white  maples,  swamp 
oaks,  a  few  large  pines,  and  a  vast  mat  of  swamp  lau 
rel,  called  in  the  South  ivy.  I  had  no  doubt  that 
the  object  of  our  search  was  somewhere  on  this  little 
island  ;  but  small  as  it  was,  it  was  no  trifling  affair 
to  give  every  part  of  it  a  minute  examination,  for  the 
stems  and  branches  of  the  ivy  were  so  minutely  inter 
woven  with  each  other,  and  spread  along  the  ground 
in  so  many  curves  and  crossings,  that  it  was  impossi 
ble  to  proceed  a  single  rod  without  lying  down  and 
creeping  along  the  earth. 

The  gentlemen  agreed,  that  if  any  one  discovered 
the  young  lady,  he  should  immediately  call  to  the 
)thers  ;  and  we  all  entered  the  thicket.  I,  however, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          175 

turned  along  the  edge  of  the  island,  with  the  inten 
tion  of  making  its  circuit,  for  the  purpose  of  tracing, 
if  possible,  the  footsteps  of  those  who  had  passed  be 
tween  it  and  the  main  shore.  I  made  my  way  more 
than  half  round  the  island,  without  much  difficulty, 
and  without  discovering  any  signs  of  persons  having 
been  here  before  me  ;  but  in  crossing  the  trunk  of  a 
large  tree  which  had  fallen,  and  the  top  of  which  ex 
tended  far  into  the  ivy,  I  perceived  some  stains  of 
mud  on  the  bark  of  the  log.  Looking  into  the  swamp, 
I  saw  that  the  root  of  this  tree  was  connected  with 
other  fallen  timber,  extending  beyond  the  reach  of  my 
vision,  which  was  obstructed  by  the  bramble  of  the 
swamp,  and  the  numerous  evergreens  growing  here 
I  now  advanced  along  the  trunk  of  the  tree  until  I 
reached  its  topmost  branches,  and  here  discovered 
evident  signs  of  a  small  trail,  lead  ing  into  the  thicke4 
of  ivy.  Creeping  along  and  following  this  trail  by  the 
small  bearberry  bushes  that  had  been  trampled  down 
and  had  not  again  risen  to  an  erect  position,  I  was  led 
almost  across  the  island,  and  found  that  the  small 
bushes  were  discomposed  quite  up  to  the  edge  of  a 
vast  heap  of  the  branches  of  evergreen  trees,  produced 
by  the  falling  of  several  large  juniper  cypress  trees, 
which  grew  in  the  swamp  in  a  cluster,  and  having 
been  blown  down,  had  fallen  with  their  tops  athwart 
each  other,  and  upon  the  almost  impervious  mat  of 


176  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

ivies,  with  which  the  surface  of  the  island  was  coated 
over. 

I  stood  and  looked  at  this  mass  of  entangled  green 
bush,  but  could  not  perceive  the  slightest  marks  of 
any  entrance  into  its  labyrinths  ;  nor  did  it  seem  pos 
sible  for  any  creature,  larger  than  a  squirrel,  to  pene 
trate  it.  It  now  for  the  first  time  struck  me  as  a 
great  oversight  in  the  gentlemen,  that  they  had  not 
compelled  the  mulatto,  David,  to  describe  the  place 
where  they  had  concealed  the  lady  ;  and,  as  the  forest 
was  so  dense  that  no  communication  could  be  had 
with  the  shore,  either  by  word  or  signs,  we  could  not 
now  procure  any  information  on  this  subject.  I  there 
fore  called  to  the  gentlemen,  who  were  on  the  island 
with  me,  and  desired  them  to  come  to  me  without 
delay. 

Small  as  this  island  was,  it  was  after  the  lapse  of 
many  minutes  that  the  overseer  and  the  other  gentle 
men  arrived  where  I  stood  ;  and  when  they  came, 
they  would  have  been  the  subjects  of  mirthful  emo 
tions,  had  not  the  tragic  circumstances  in  which  I  was 
placed,  banished  from  my  heart  every  feeling  but  that 
of  the  most  profound  melancholy. 

When  the  gentlemen  had  assembled,  I  informed 
them  of  signs  of  footsteps  that  I  had  traced  from  the 
other  side  of  the  island  ;  and  told  them  that  I  be 
lieved  the  young  lady  lay  somewhere  under  the  heap 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  177 

of  brushwood  before  us.  This  opinion  obtained  but 
little  credit,  because  there  was  no  opening  in  the  brush 
by  which  any  one  could  enter  it ;  but  on  going  a  few 
paces  round  the  heap,  I  perceived  a  small,  snaggy 
pole  resting  on  the  brush,  and  nearly  concealed  by  it, 
with  the  lower  end  stuck  in  the  ground.  The  branches 
had  been  cut  from  this  pole  at  the  distance  of  three 
or  four  inches  from  the  main  stem,  which  made  it  a 
tolerable  substitute  for  a  ladder.  I  immediately  as 
cended  the  pole,  which  led  me  to  the  top  of  the  pile, 
and  here  I  discovered  an  opening  in  the  brush,  between 
the  forked  top  of  one  of  the  cypress  trees,  through 
which  a  man  might  easily  pass.  Applying  my  head 
to  this  aperture,  I  distinctly  heard  a  quick  and  labo 
rious  breathing,  like  that  of  a  person  in  extreme  ill 
ness  ;  and  again  called  the  gentlemen  to  follow  me. 

When  they  came  up  the  ladder,  the  breathing  was 
audible  to  all ;  and  one  of  the  gentlemen,  whom  I 
now  perceived  to  be  the  stranger,  who  was  with  us  in 
my  master's  cellar,  when  I  was  bled,  slid  down  into 
the  dark  and  narrow  passage,  without  uttering  a  word. 
I  confess  that  some  feelings  of  trepidation  passed 
through  my  nerves  when  I  stood  alone  ;  but  now  that 
a  leader  had  preceded  me,  I  followed,  and  glided 
through  the  smooth  and  elastic  cypress  tops,  to  the 
bottom  of  this  vast  labyrinth  of  green  boughs. 

When  I  reached  the  ground,  I  found  myself  in  con- 
8* 


178  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

tact  with  the  gentleman  who  was  in  advance  of  me, 
and  near  one  end  of  a  large  concave,  oblong,  open 
space,  formed  by  the  branches  of  the  trees,  having 
been  supported  and  kept  above  the  ground,  partly  by 
a  cluster  of  very  large  and  strong  ivies,  that  grew  here, 
and  partly  by  a  young  gum  tree,  which  had  been  bent 
into  the  form  of  an  arch  by  the  falling  timber. 

Though  we  could  not  see  into  this  leafy  cavern  from 
above,  yet  when  we  had  been  in  it  a  few  moments,  we 
had  light  enough  to  see  the  objects  around  us  with 
tolerable  clearness  ;  but  that  which  surprised  us  both 
greatly  was,  that  the  place  was  totally  silent,  and  we 
could  not  perceive  the  appearance  of  any  living  thing, 
except  ourselves. 

After  we  had  been  here  some  minutes,  our  vision 
became  still  more  distinct ;  and  I  saw,  at  the  other 
end  of  the  open  space,  ashes  of  wood,  and  some  extin 
guished  brands,  but  there  was  no  smoke.  Going  to 
these  ashes,  and  stirring  them  with  a  stick,  I  found 
coals  of  fire  carefully  covered  over,  in  a  hole  six  or 
eight  inches  deep. 

When  he  saw  the  fire,  the  gentleman  spoke  to  me, 
and  expressed  his  astonishment  that  we  heard  the 
breathing  no  longer  ;  but  he  had  scarcely  uttered  these 
words,  when  a  faint  groan,  as  of  a  woman  in  great 
pain,  was  heard  to  issue  apparently  from  the  ground  ; 
but  a  motion  of  branches  on  our  right  assured  me  that 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  179 

the  sufferer  was  concealed  there.  The  gentleman 
sprung  to  the  spot,  pushed  aside  the  pendant  boughs, 
stooped  low  beneath  the  bent  ivies,  and  came  out, 
bearing  in  his  hands  a  delicate  female  figure.  As  he 
turned  round,  and  exposed  her  half-closed  eye  and 
white  forehead  to  the  light,  he  exclaimed,  "Eternal 
God  !  Maria,  is  it  you  ?"  He  then  pressed  her  to  his 
bosom,  and  sunk  upon  the  ground,  still  holding  her 
closely  in  his  embrace. 

The  lady  lay  motionless  in  his  arms,  and  I  thought 
she  was  dead.  Her  hair  hung  matted  and  dishevelled 
from  her  head  ;  a  handkerchief,  once  white,  but  now 
soiled  with  dust,  and  stained  with  blood,  was  bound 
firmly  round  her  head,  covering  her  mouth  and  chin, 
and  was  fastened  at  the  back  of  the  neck,  by  a  double 
knot,  and  secured  by  a  ligature  of  cypress  bark. 

I  knew  not  whom  most  to  pity — the  lady,  who  now 
lay  insensible  in  the  arms  that  still  clasped  her  ten 
derly  ;  or  the  unhappy  gentleman,  who  having  cut  the 
cords  from  her  limbs,  and  the  handkerchief  from  her 
face,  now  sat  and  silently  gazed  upon  her  death-like 
countenance.  He  uttered  not  a  sigh,  and  moved  not 
a  joint,  but  his  breast  heaved  with  agony  ;  the  sinews 
and  muscles  of  his  neck  rose  and  fell,  like  those  of  a 
man  in  convulsions  ;  all  the  lineaments  of  his  face 
were,  alternately,  contracted  and  expanded,  as  if  his 
ta,st  moments  were  at  hand  ;  whilst  great  drops  of 


180  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

sweat  rolled  down  his  forehead,  as  though  he  struggled 
against  an  enemy  whose  strength  was  more  than  human. 

Oppressed  by  the  sight  of  so  much  wretchedness,  I 
turned  from  its  contemplation,  and  called  aloud  to  the 
gentlemen  without  (who  had  all  this  time  been  wait- 
«ig  to  hear  from  us)  to  come  up  the  ladder  to  the  top 
4  the  pile  of  boughs.  The  overseer  was  quickly  at  the 
v>p  of  the  opening,  by  which  I  had  descended  ;  and  I 
now  informed  him  that  we  had  found  the  lady.  He 
ordered  me  to  hand  her  up — and  I  desired  the  gentle- 
man  who  was  with  me  to  permit  me  to  do  so,  but  this 
he  refused — and  mounting  the  boughs  of  the  fallen 
trees,  and  supporting  himself  by  the  strong  branches 
of  the  ivies,  he  quickly  reached  the  place  where  the 
overseer  stood. 

He  even  here  refused  to  part  from  his  charge,  but 
oore  her  down  the  ladder  alone.  He  was,  however, 
obliged  to  accept  aid,  in  conveying  her  through  the 
3wamp  to  the  place  where  we  had  left  the  two  gentle 
men  with  the  wounded  mulatto,  whose  sufferings,  de 
mon  as  he  was,  were  sufficient  to  move  the  hardest 
heart.  His  right  arm  and  left  leg  were  broken,  and 
ue  had  lost  much  blood  before  we  returned  from  the 
island  ;  and  as  he  could  not  walk,  it  was  necessary  to 
carry  him  home.  We  had  not  brought  any  horses,  and 
until  the  lady  was  recovered,  no  one  seemed  to  think 
any  more  about  the  mulatto  after  he  was  shot  down 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          18 1 

It  was  proposed  to  send  for  a  horse  to  take  David 
home  ;  but  it  was  finally  agreed  that  we  should  leave 
him  in  the  woods,  where  he  was,  until  a  man  could  be 
sent  for  him  with  a  cart.  At  the  time  we  left  him, 
his  groans  and  lamentations  seemed  to  excite  no  sym 
pathy  in  the  breast  of  any.  More  cruel  sufferings  yet 
awaited  him. 

The  lady  was  carried  home  in  the  arms  of  the  gen 
tlemen  ;  and  she  did  not  speak,  until  after  she  was 
bathed  and  put  to  bed  in  my  master's  house,  as  I 
afterwards  heard.  I  know  she  did  not  speak  on  the 
way.  She  died  on  the  fourth  day  after  her  rescue,  and 
before  her  death  related  the  circumstances  of  her  mis 
fortune,  as  I  was  told  by  a  colored  woman,  who  attend 
ed  her  in  her  illness,  in  the  following  manner  : 

As  she  was  riding  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  at  a 
rapid  trot,  a  few  yards  behind  her  brother,  a  black 
man  sprang  from  behind  a  tree  standing  close  by  the 
side  of  the  road  ;  seized  her  by  her  riding  dress,  and 
dragged  her  to  the  ground,  but  failed  to  catch  the 
bridle  of  the  horse,  which  sprang  off  at  full  speed. — 
Another  negro  immediately  came  to  the  aid  of  the 
first,  and  said,  "I  could  not  catch  him — we  must 
make  haste."  They  carried  her  as  fast  as  they  could 
go  to  the  place  where  we  found  her,  when  they  bound 
her  hands,  feet  and  mouth,  and  left  her  until  the  next 
night ;  and  had  left  her  the  second  morning,  only  a 


182  Fifty  Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

few  minutes,  when  she  heard  the  report  of  guns.  Soon 
after  this,  by  great  efforts,  she  extricated  one  of  her 
feet  from  the  bark  with  which  she  was  bound  ;  but 
finding  herself  too  weak  to  stand,  she  crawled,  as  far 
as  she  could,  under  the  boughs  of  the  trees,  hoping 
that  when  her  assassins  returned  again  they  would  not 
be  able  to  find  her,  and  that  she  might  there  die  alone. 

Exhausted  by  the  efforts  she  had  made  to  remove 
herself,  she  fell  into  the  stupor  of  sleep,  from  which 
she  was  aroused  by  the  noise  we  made  when  we  de 
scended  into  the  cavern.  She  then,  supposing  us  to 
be  her  destroyers  returned  again,  lay  still,  and  breathed 
as  softly  as  possible,  to  prevent  us  from  hearing  her  ; 
but  when  she  heard  the  voice  of  the  gentleman  who 
was  with  me,  the  tones  of  which  were  familiar  to  her, 
she  groaned  and  moved  her  feet,  to  let  us  know  where 
she  was.  This  exertion,  and  the  idea  of  her  horrid 
condition,  overcame  the  strength  of  her  nerves  ;  and 
when  her  deliverer  raised  her  from  the  ground  she  had 
swooned,  and  was  unconscious  of  all  things. 

We  had  no  sooner  arrived  at  the  house,  than  inquiry 
was  made  for  Hardy  ;  but  it  was  ascertained  in  the 
kitchen,  that  he  had  not  been  seen  since  the  previous 
evening,  at  night-fall,  when  he  had  left  the  kitchen  for 
the  purpose  of  going  to  sleep  at  the  stable  with  David, 
as  he  had  told  one  of  the  black  women  ;  and  prepara 
tion  was  immediately  made  to  go  in  pursuit  of  him. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          183 

For  this  purpose  all  the  gentlemen  present  equipped 
themselves  with  pistols,  fowling  pieces,  and  horns — 
such  as  are  used  by  fox  hunters.  Messengers  were 
despatched  round  the  country,  to  give  notice  to  all  the 
planters,  within  the  distance  of  many  miles,  of  the 
crime  that  had  been  committed,  and  of  the  escape  of 
one  of  its  perpetrators,  with  a  request  to  them  to  come 
without  delay,  and  join  in  the  pursuit,  intended  to  be 
given.  Those  who  had  dogs,  trained  to  chase  thieves, 
were  desired  to  bring  them  ;  and  a  gentleman  who 
lived  twelve  miles  off,  and  who  owned  a  blood-hound, 
was  sent  for,  and  requested  to  come  with  his  dog,  in 
all  haste. 

In  consequence,  I  suppose,  of  the  information  I  had 
given,  I  was  permitted  to  be  present  at  these  delibera 
tions,  and  though  my  advice  was  not  asked,  I  was 
often  interrogated,  concerning  my  knowledge  of  the 
affair.  Some  proposed  to  go  at  once,  with  dogs  and 
horses,  into  the  woods,  and  traverse  the  swamp  and 
thickets,  for  the  purpose  of  rousing  Hardy  from  the 
place  of  concealment  he  might  have  chosen  ;  but  the 
opinion  of  the  overseer  prevailed,  who  thought,  that 
from  the  intimate  knowledge  possessed  by  him,  of  all 
the  swamps  and  coverts  in  the  neighborhood,  there 
would  be  little  hope  of  discovering  him  in  this  man 
ner.  The  overseer  advised  them  to  wait  the  coming  of 
the  gentleman  with  his  blood-t  ound,  before  they  en- 


184  Fifty  Tears  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

tered  the  woods  ;  for  the  reason,  that  if  the  blood  hound 
could  be  made  to  take  the  trail,  he  would  certainly  find 
his  game,  before  he  quit  it,  if  not  thrown  off  the  scent 
by  the  men,  horses,  and  dogs  crossing  his  course  ;  but 
if  the  blood  hound  could  not  take  the  scent,  they  might 
then  adopt  the  proposed  plan  of  pursuit,  with  as  much 
success  as  at  present.  This  counsel  being  adopted,  the 
horses  were  ordered  into  the  stable  ;  and  the  gentle 
men  entered  the  house  to  take  their  breakfast,  and 
wait  the  arrival  of  the  blood  hound. 

Nothing  was  said  of  the  mulatto,  David,  who  seemed 
to  be  forgotten — not  a  word  being  spoken  by  any  one 
of  bringing  him  from  the  woods.  I  knew  that  he  was 
suffering  the  most  agonizing  pains,  and  great  as  were 
his  crimes,  his  groans  and  cries  of  anguish  still  seemed 
to  echo  in  my  ears  ;  but  I  was  afraid  to  make  any  ap 
plication  in  his  behalf,  lest,  even  yet,  I  might  be  sus 
pected  of  some  participation  in  his  offences  ;  for  I 
knew  that  the  most  horrid  punishments  were  often 
inflicted  upon  slaves  merely  on  suspicion. 

As  the  morning  advanced,  the  number  of  men  and 
horses  in  front  of  my  master's  mansion  increased  ;  and 
before  ten  o'clock  I  think  there  were,  at  least,  fifty  of 
each — the  horses  standing  hitched  and  the  men  con 
versing  in  groups  without,  or  assembled  together  with 
in  the  house. 

At  length  the  ownei  of  the  blood  hound  came,  bring- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  185 

ing  with  him  his  dog,  in  a  chaise,  drawn  by  one  horse. 
The  harness  was  removed  from  the  horse,  its  place 
supplied  by  a  saddle  and  bridle,  and  the  whole  party 
set  off  for  the  woods.  As  they  rode  away,  my  master, 
who  was  one  of  the  company,  told  me  to  follow  them  ; 
but  we  had  proceeded  only  a  little  distance,  when  the 
gentlemen  stopped,  and  my  master,  after  speaking  with 
the  owner  of  the  dog,  told  the  overseer  to  go  back  to 
the  house,  and  get  some  piece  of  the  clothes  of  Hardy, 
that  had  been  worn  by  him  lately.  The  overseer  re 
turned,  and  we  all  proceeded  forward  to  the  place  where 
David  lay. 

We  found  him  where  we  had  left  him,  greatly  weak 
ened  by  the  loss  of  blood,  and  complaining  that  the 
cold  air  caused  his  wounds  to  smart  intolerably.  When 
I  came  near  him,  he  looked  at  me  and  told  me  I  had 
betrayed  him.  None  of  the  gentlemen  seemed  at  all 
moved  by  his  sufferings,  and  when  any  of  them  spoke 
to  him  it  was  with  derision,  and  every  epithet  of  scorn 
and  contumely.  As  it  was  apparent  that  he  could  not 
escape,  no  one  proposed  to  remove  him  to  a  place  of 
greater  safety ;  but  several  of  the  horsemen,  as  they 
passed,  lashed  him  with  the  thongs  of  their  whips  ; 
but  I  do  not  believe  he  felt  these  blows — the  pain  he 
endured  from  his  wounds  being  so  great  as  to  drown 
the  sensation  of  such  minor  afflictions. 

The  day  had   already  become  warm,  although  the 


186  Fifty   Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

night  had  been  cold  ;  the  sun  shone  with  great  clear 
ness,  and  many  carrion  crows,  attracted  by  the  scent 
of  blood,  were  perched  upon  the  trees  near  where  we 
now  were. 

When  the  overseer  came  up  with  us,  he  brought  an 
v.  Id  blanket,  in  which  Hardy  had  slept  for  some  time, 
and  handed  it  to  the  owner  of  the  dog  ;  who,  having 
first  caused  the  hound  to  smell  of  the  blanket,  untied 
the  cord  in  which  he  had  been  led,  and  turned  him 
into  the  woods.  The  dog  went  from  us  fifty  or  sixty 
yards,  in  a  right  line,  then  made  a  circle  around  us, 
again  commenced  his  circular  movement,  and  pursued 
it  nearly  half  round.  Then  he  dropped  his  nose  to 
the  ground,  snuffed  the  tainted  surface,  and  moved  off 
through  the  wood  slowly,  almost  touching  the  earth 
with  his  nose.  The  owner  of  the  dog  and  twelve  or 
fifteen  others  followed  him,  whilst  the  residue  of  the 
party  dispersed  themselves  along  the  edge  of  the 
swamp,  and  the  overseer  ordered  me  to  stay  and  watch 
the  horses  of  those  who  dismounted,  going  himself  on 
foot  in  the  pursuit. 

When  the  gentlemen  were  all  gone  out  of  sight,  I 
went  to  David,  wrho  lay  all  this  time  within  my  view, 
for  the  purpose  of  asking  him  if  I  could  render  him 
any  assistance.  He  begged  me  to  bring  him  some  wa 
ter,  as  he  was  dying  of  thirst,  no  less  than  with  the 
pain  of  his  wounds.  One  of  the  horsemen  had  left  a 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          187 

Itt,*g3  tm  horn  hanging  on  his  saddle  ;  this  I  took,  and 
stopping  the  small  end  closely  with  leaves,  filled  it 
with  water  from  the  swamp,  and  gave  it  to  the  wound 
ed  man,  who  drank  it,  and  then  turning  his  head  to 
wards  me,  said  : — "  Hardy  and  I  had  laid  a  plan  to 
have  this  thing  brought  upon  you,  and  to  have  you 
hung  for  it — but  you  have  escaped."  He  then  asked 
me  if  they  intended  to  leave  him  to  die  in  the  woods, 
or  to  take  him  home  and  hang  him.  I  told  him  I  had 
heard  them  talk  of  taking  him  home  in  a  cart,  but 
what  was  to  be  done  with  him  I  did  ?iot  know.  I  felt 
a  horror  of  the  crimes  committed  by  this  man  ;  was 
pained  by  the  sight  of  his  sufferings,  and  being  unable 
to  relieve  the  one,  or  to  forgive  the  other,  went  to  a 
place  where  I  could  neither  see  nor  hear  him,  and  sat 
down  to  await  the  return  of  those  who  had  gone  in 
the  pursuit  of  Hardy. 

In  the  circumstances  which  surrounded  me,  it  can 
not  be  supposed  that  my  feelings  were  pleasant,  or 
that  time  moved  very  fleetly  ;  but  painful  as  my  situ 
ation  was,  I  was  obliged  to  bear  it  for  many  hours. 
From  the  time  the  gentlemen  left  me,  I  neither  saw 
nor  heard  them,  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  five 
or  six  of  them  returned,  having  lost  their  companions 
in  the  woods. 

Toward  sundown,  I  heard  a  great  noi:»e  of  horns 
blown,  and  of  men  shouting  at  a  distance  in  the  forest ; 


188  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

and  soon  after,  my  master,  the  owner  of  the  blood 
hound,  and  many  others  returned,  bringing  with  them 
Hardy,  whom  the  hound  had  followed  ten  or  twelve 
miles  through  the  swamps  and  thickets  ;  had  at  last 
caught  him,  and  would  soon  have  killed  him,  had  he 
not  been  compelled  to  relinquish  his  prey.  When  the 
party  had  all  returned,  a  kind  of  court  was  held  in 
the  woods,  where  we  then  were,  for  the  purpose  of 
determining  what  punishment  should  be  inflicted  upon 
Hardy  and  David.  All  agreed  at  once,  that  an  ex 
ample  of  the  most  terrific  character  ought  to  be  made 
of  such  atrocious  villains,  and  that  it  would  defeat  the 
ends  of  justice  to  deliver  these  fellows  up  to  the  civil 
authority,  to  be  hanged  like  common  murderers.  The 
next  measure  was  to  settle  upon  the  kind  of  punish 
ment  to  be  inflicted  upon  them,  and  the  manner  of 
executing  the  sentence. 

Hardy  was,  all  this  time,  sitting  on  the  ground 
covered  with  blood,  and  yet  bleeding  profusely,  ii 
hearing  of  his  inexorable  judges.  The  dog  had  man 
gled  both  his  arms  and  hands  in  a  shocking  manner  ; 
torn  a  large  piece  of  flesh  entirely  away  from  one  side 
of  his  breast,  and  sunk  his  fangs  deep  in  the  side  of 
his  neck.  No  other  human  creature  that  I  have  ever 
seen  presented  a  more  deplorable  spectacle  of  mingled 
crime  and  cruelty. 

It  was  now  growing  late,  and  the  fete  of  these  mis- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  189 

erable  men  was  to  be  decided  before  the  company  sep 
arated  to  go  to  their  several  homes.  One  proposed  to 
burn  them,  another  to  flay  them  alive,  and  a  third  to 
starve  them  to  death,  and  many  other  modes  of  slowly 
and  tormentingly  extinguishing  life  were  named  ;  but 
that  which  was  finally  adopted  was,  of  all  others,  the 
most  horrible.  The  wretches  were  unanimously  sen 
tenced  to  be  stripped  naked,  and  bound  down  securely 
upon  their  backs,  on  the  naked  earth,  in  sight  of  each 
other  ;  to  have  their  mouths  closely  covered  with  ban 
dages,  to  prevent  them  from  making  a  noise  to  frighten 
away  the  birds,  and  in  this  manner  to  be  left  to  be 
devoured  alive  by  the  carrion  crows  and  buzzards, 
which  swarm  in  every  part  of  South  Carolina. 

The  sentence  was  instantly  carried  into  effect,  so 
far  as  its  execution  depended  on  us.  Hardy  and  his 
companion  were  divested  of  their  clothes,  stretched 
upon  their  backs  on  the  ground ;  their  mouths  ban 
daged  with  handkerchiefs — their  limbs  extended — 
and  these,  together  with  their  necks,  being  crossed  by 
numerous  poles,  were  kept  close  to  the  earth  by  forked 
sticks  driven  into  the  ground,  so  as  to  prevent  the 
possibility  of  moving  any  part  of  their  persons  ;  and 
in  this  manner  these  wicked  men  were  left  to  be  torn 
in  pieces  by  birds  of  prey.  The  buzzards  and  carrion 
crows,  always  attack  dead  bodies  by  pulling  out  and 
consuming  the  eyes  first.  They  then  tear  open  the 
bowels,  and  feed  upon  the  intestines.  " 


190  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

We  returned  to  my  master's  plantation,  and  I  did 
not  see  this  place  again  until  the  next  Sunday,  when 
several  of  my  fellow  slaves  went  with  me  to  see  the 
remains  of  the  dead,  but  we  found  only  their  bones. 
Great  flocks  of  buzzards  and  carrion  crows  were  assem 
bled  in  the  trees,  giving  a  dismal  aspect  to  the  woods  ; 
and  I  hastened  to  abandon  a  place  fraught  with  so 
many  afflicting  recollections. 

The  lady,  who  had  been  the  innocent  sacrifice  of 
the  brutality  of  the  men,  whose  bones  I  had  seen 
bleaching  in  the  sun,  had  died  on  Saturday  evening, 
and  her  corpse  was  buried  on  Monday,  in  a  grave-yard 
on  my  master's  plantation.  I  have  never  seen  a  large 
cotton  plantation,  in  Carolina,  without  its  burying 
ground.  This  burying  ground  is  not  only  the  place 
of  sepulture  of  the  family,  who  are  the  proprietors  of 
the  estate,  but  also  of  many  other  persons  who  have 
lived  in  the  neighborhood.  Half  an  acre,  or  an  acre 
of  ground,  is  appropriated  as  a  grave-yard,  on  one  side 
of  which  the  proprietors  of  the  estate,  from  age  to  age, 
are  buried  ;  whilst  the  other  parts  of  the  ground  are 
open  to  strangers,  poor  people  of  their  vicinity,  and, 
in  general,  to  all  who  choose  to  inter  their  dead  within 
its  boundaries.  This  custom  prevails  as  far  north  as 
Maryland  ;  and  it  seems  to  me  to  be  much  more  con 
sonant  to  the  feelings  of  solitude  and  tender  recollec 
tions,  which  we  always  associate  with  the  memory  of 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  191 


departed  friends,  than  the  practice  of  promiscuous  in 
terment  in  a  church-yard,  where  all  idea  of  seclusion 
is  banished,  by  the  last  home  of  the  dead  being  thrown 
open  to  the  rude  intrusions  of  strangers ;  where  the 
sanctity  of  the  sepulchre  is  treated  as  a  common,  and 
where  the  grave  itself  is,  in  a  few  years,  torn  up,  or 
covered  over,  to  form  a  temporary  resting-place  for 
some  new  tenant. 

The  family  of  the  deceased  lady,  though  not  very 
wealthy,  was  amongst  the  most  ancient  and  respectable 
in  this  part  of  the  country  ;  and,  on  Sunday,  whilst 
the  dead  body  lay  in  my  master's  house,  there  was  a 
continual  influx  and  efflux  of  visitors,  in  carnages,  on 
horse-back,  and  on  foot.  The  house  was  open  to  all 
who  chose  10  come  ;  and  the  best  wines,  cakes,  sweet 
meats  and  fruits,  were  handed  about  to  the  company 
by  the  servants  ;  though  I  observed  that  none  remain 
ed  for  dinner,  except  the  relations  of  the  deceased; 
those  of  my  master's  family,  and  the  young  gentleman 
who  was  with  me  on  the  island.  The  visiters  remain 
ed  but  a  short  time  when  they  came,  and  were  nearly 
all  in  mourning.  This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had 
seen  a  large  number  of  the  fashionable  people  of  Caro 
lina  assembled  together,  and  their  appearance  impress 
ed  me  with  an  opinion  favorable  to  their  character. 
I  had  never  seen  an  equal  number  of  people  anywhere, 
whose  deportment  was  more  orderly  and  decorous,  nor 


192  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


whose  feelings  seemed  to  be  more  in  accordance  with 
the  solemnity  of  the  event,  which  had  brought  them 
together. 

I  had  been  ordered  by  the  overseer  to  remain  at  the 
great  house  until  the  afternoon,  for  the  purpose,  as  I 
afterwards  learned,  of  being  seen  by  those  who  came 
to  see  the  corspe  ;  and  many  of  the  ladies  and  gentle 
men  inquired  for  me,  and  when  I  was  pointed  out  to 
them,  commended  my  conduct  and  fidelity,  in  discov 
ering  the  authors  of  the  murder — condoled  with  me  foi 
having  suffered  innocently,  and  several  gave  me  mon 
ey.  One  old  lady,  who  came  in  a  pretty  carriage, 
drawn  by  two  black  horses,  gave  me  a  dollar. 

On  Monday  the  funeral  took  place,  and  several  hun 
dred  persons  followed  the  corpse  to  the  grave,  over 
which  a  minister  delivered  a  short  sermon.  The  young 
gentleman  who  was  with  me  when  we  found  the  de 
ceased  on  the  island,  walked  with  her  mother  to  the 
grave-yard,  and  the  little  brother  followed,  with  a 
younger  sister. 

After  the  interment,  wines  and  refreshments  were 
handed  round  to  the  whole  assembly,  and  at  least  a 
hundred  persons  remained  for  dinner  with  my  master's 
family.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  carriages 
acd  horses  were  ordered  to  the  door  of  the  court-yard 
of  the  house,  and  the  company  retired.  At  sundown, 
the  plantation  was  as  quiet  as  if  its  peace  had  never 
been  disturbed. 


The  Life  of.  an  American  Slave.          193 


CHAPTER    X. 

I  HAVE  before  observed  that  the  negroes  of  the  cot 
ton  plantations  are  exceedingly  superstitious ;  and 
they  are  indeed  prone,  beyond  all  other  people  that  I 
have  ever  known,  to  believe  in  ghosts,  and  the  exist 
ence  of  an  infinite  number  of  supernatural  agents.  No 
story  of  a  miraculous  character  can  be  too  absurd  to 
obtain  credit  with  them  ;  and  a  narrative  is  not  the 
less  eagerly  listened  to,  nor  the  more  cautiously  re 
ceived,  because  it  is  impossible  in  its  circumstances. 
Within  a  few  weeks  after  the  deaths  of  the  two  male 
factors,  to  whose  horrible  crimes  were  awarded  equally 
horrible  punishments,  the  forest  that  had  been  the 
scene  of  these  bloody  deeds, was  reported  and  believed 
to  be  visited  at  night  by  beings  of  unearthly  make, 
whose  groans  and  death-struggles  were  heard  in  the 
darkest  recesses  of  the  woods,  amidst  the  flapping  of 
the  wings  of  vultures,  the  fluttering  of  carrion  crows, 
and  the  dismal  croaking  of  ravens.  In  the  midst  of 
this  nocturnal  din,  the  noise  caused  by  the  tearing  of 

9 


194  Fifty   Years  in  OJiains  ;  or, 

the  flesh  from  the  bones  was  heard,  and  the  panting 
breath  of  the  agonized  sufferer,  quivering  under  the 
beaks  of  his  tormentors,  as  they  consumed  his  vitals, 
floated  audibly  upon  the  evening  breeze. 

The  murdered  lady  was  also  seen  walking  by  moon 
light,  near  the  spot  where  she  had  been  dragged  from 
her  horse,  wrapped  in  a  blood-stained  mantle,  over 
hung  with  gory  and  dishevelled  locks. 

The  little  island  in  the  swamp  was  said  to  present 
spectacles  too  horrid  for  human  eyes  to  look  upon,  arid 
sounds  were  heard  to  issue  from  it  which  no  human 
ear  could  bear.  Terrific  and  ghastly  fires  were  seen  to 
burst  up,  at  midnight,  amongst  the  evergreens  that 
clad  this  lonely  spot,  emitting  scents  too  suffocating 
and  sickly  to  be  endured ;  whilst  demoniac  yells, 
shouts  of  despair  and  groans  of  agony,  mingled  their 
echos  in  the  solitude  of  the  woods. 

Whilst  I  remained  in  this  neighborhood,  no  colored 
person  ever  traveled  this  road  alone  after  night-fall ; 
and  many  white  men  would  have  ridden  ten  miles 
round  the  country  to  avoid  the  passage  of  the  ridge 
road,  after  dark.  Generations  must  pass  away  before 
the  tradition  of  this  place  will  be  forgotten  ;  and  many 
a  year  will  open  and  close,  before  the  last  face  will  be 
pale,  or  the  last  heart  beat,  as  the  twilight  traveler 
skirts  the  borders  of  the  Murderer's  Swamp. 

We  had  allowances  of  meat  distributed  to  all  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  195 

people  twice  this  fall — once  when  we  had  finished  tho 
saving  the  fodder,  and  again  soon  after  the  murder  of 
the  young  lady.  The  first  time  we  had  beef,  such  as 
I  had  driven  from  the  woods  when  I  went  to  the  alli 
gator  pond  ;  but  now  we  had  two  hogs  given  to  us, 
which  weighed,  one  a  hundred  and  thirty,  and  the 
other  a  hundred  and  fifty-six  pounds.  This  was  very 
good  pork,  and  I  received  a  pound  and  a  quarter  as 
my  share  of  it.  This  was  the  first  pork  that  I  had 
tasted  in  Carolina,  and  it  afforded  a  real  feast.  We 
had,  in  our  family,  full  seven  pounds  of  good  fat  meat ; 
and  as  we  now  had  plenty  of  sweet  potatoes,  both  in 
our  gardens  and  in  our  weekly  allowance,  we  had  on 
the  Sunday  following  the  funeral,  as  good  a  dinner  of 
stewed  pork  and  potatoes  as  could  have  been  found  in 
all  Carolina.  We  did  not  eat  all  our  meat  on  Sunday, 
but  kept  part  of  it  until  Tuesday,  when  we  warmed  it 
in  a  pot,  with  an  addition  of  parsley  and  other  herbs, 
and  had  another  very  comfortable  meal. 

I  had,  by  this  time,  become  in  some  measure  ac 
quainted  with  the  country,  and  began  to  lay  and  exe 
cute  plans  to  procure  supplies  of  such  things  as  were 
not  allowed  me  by  my  master.  I  understood  various 
methods  of  entrapping  rackoons,  and  other  wild  ani 
mals  that  abounded  in  the  large  swamps  of  this  coun 
try  ;  and  besides  the  skins,  which  were  worth  some 
thing  f  xr  their  furs,  I  generally  procured  as  many 


196  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

raekoons,  opossums,  and  rabbits,  as  afforded  us  two  or 
three  meals  in  a  week.  The  woman  with  whom  I  lived, 
understood  the  way  of  dressing  an  opossum,  and  I  was 
careful  to  provide  one  for  our  Sunday  dinner  every 
veek,  so  long  as  these  animals  continued  fat  and  in 
food  condition. 

All  the  people  on  the  plantation  did  not  live  as  well 
as  our  family  did,  for  many  of  the  men  did  not  under- 
planl  trapping  game,  and  others  were  too  indolent  to 
£0  far  enough  from  home  to  find  good  places  for  setting 
llieir  traps.  My  principal  trapping  ground  was  three 
miles  from  home,  and  I  went  three  times  a  week,  al 
ways  after  night,  to  bring  home  my  game,  and  keep 
my  traps  in  good  order.  Many  of  the  families  in  the 
fjuarter  caught  no  game,  and  had  no  meat,  except  that 
•vhich  we  received  from  the  overseer,  which  averaged 
'.bout  six  or  seven  meals  in  the  year. 

Lydia,  the  woman  whom  I  have  mentioned  hereto 
fore,  was  one  of  the  women  whose  husbands  procured 
/ittle  or  nothing  for  the  sustenance  of  their  families, 
and  I  often  gave  her  a  quarter  of  a  rackoon  or  a  small 
opossum,  for  which  she  appeared  very  thankful.  Her 
aealth  was  not  good — she  had  a  bad  cough,  and  often 
told  me  she  was  feverish  and  restless  at  night.  It 
ippeared  clear  to  me  that  this  woman's  constitution 
vas  broken  by  hardships  and  sufferings,  and  that  she 
•ould  not  live  long  in  her  present  mode  of  existence. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave,          197 

Her  husband,  a  native  of  a  country  far  in  the  interior 
of  Africa,  said  he  had  been  a  priest  in  his  own  nation, 
and  had  never  been  taught  to  do  any  kind  of  labor, 
being  supported  by  the  contributions  of  the  public  ; 
and  he  now  maintained,  as  far  as  he  could,  the  same 
kind  of  lazy  dignity,  that  he  had  enjoyed  at  home.  He 
was  compelled  by  the  overseer  to  work,  with  the  other 
hands,  in  the  field,  but  as  soon  as  he  had  come  into 
his  cabin,  he  took  his  seat,  and  refused  to  give  his  wife 
the  least  assistance  in  doing  any  thing.  She  was  con 
sequently  obliged  to  do  the  little  work  that  it  was  ne 
cessary  to  perform  in  the  cabin  ;  and  also  to  bear  all 
the  labor  of  weeding  and  cultivating  the  family  patch 
or  garden.  The  husband  was  a  morose,  sullen  man, 
and  said  he  formerly  had  ten  wives  in  his  own  coun 
try,  who  all  had  to  work  for,  and  wait  upon  him  ;  and 
he  thought  himself  badly  off  here,  in  having  but  one 
woman  to  do  any  thing  for  him.  This  man  was  very 
irritable,  and  often  beat  and  otherwise  maltreated  his 
wife,  on  the  slightest  provocation,  and  the  overseer  re 
fused  to  protect  her,  on  the  ground,  that  he  never  in 
terfered  in  the  family  quarrels  of  the  black  people.  I 
pitied  this  woman  greatly,  but  as  it  was  not  in  my 
power  to  remove  her  from  the  presence  and  authority 
of  her  husband,  I  thought  it  prudent  not  to  say  nor  do 
any  thing  to  provoke  him  further  against  her.  As  the 
winter  approached,  and  the  autumnal  rains  set  in,  she 


198  Fifty  Years  in  Chains ;  or, 

was  frequently  exposed  in  the  field,  and  was  wet  for 
several  hours  together  ;  this,  joined  to  the  want  of 
warm  and  comfortahle  woollen  clothes,  caused  her  to 
contract  colds,  and  hoarseness,  which  increased  the 
severity  of  her  cough.  A  few  days  before  Christmas, 
her  child  died,  after  an  illness  of  only  three  days.  I 
assisted  her  and  her  husband  to  inter  the  infant — which 
was  a  little  boy — and  its  father  buried  with  it  a  small 
bow  and  several  arrows  ;  a  little  bag  of  parched  meal ; 
a  miniature  canoe,  about  a  foot  long,  and  a  little  pad 
dle,  (with  which  he  said  it  would  cross  the  ocean  'to 
his  own  country)  a  small  stick,  with  an  iron  nail,  sharp 
ened,  and  fastened  into  one  end  of  it ;  and  a  piece  of 
white  muslin,  with  several  curious  and  strange  figures 
painted  on  it  in  blue  and  red,  by  which,  he  said,  his 
relations  and  countrymen  would  know  the  infant  to  be 
his  son,  and  would  receive  it  accordingly,  on  its  arri 
val  amongst  them. 

Cruel  as  this  man  was  to  his  wife,  I  could  not  but 
respect  the  sentiments  which  inspired  his  affection  for 
his  child  ;  though  it  was  the  affection  of  a  barbarian. 
He  cut  a  lock  of  hair  from  his  head,  threw  it  upon  the 
dead  infant,  and  closed  the  grave  with  his  own  hands. 
He  then  told  us  the  God  of  his  country  was  looking  at 
him,  and  was  pleased  with  what  he  had  done.  Thus 
ended  the  funeral  service. 

As  we  returned  home,  Lydia  told  me  she  was  re- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Stave.          199 

joiced  that  her  child  was  dead,  and  out  of  a  world  in 
which  slavery  and  wretchedness  must  have  been  its 
only  portion.  I  am  now,  said  she,  ready  to  follow  my 
child,  and  the  sooner  I  go  .the  better  for  me.  She 
went  with  us  to  the  field  until  the  month  of  January, 
when,  as  we  were  returning  from  our  work,  one  stormy 
and  wet  evening,  she  told  me  she  should  never  pick 
any  more  cotton — that  her  strength  was  gone,  and  she 
could  work  no  more.  When  we  assembled,  at  the 
blowing  of  the  horn,  on  the  following  morning,  Lydia 
did  not  appear.  The  overseer,  who  had  always  ap 
peared  to  dislike  this  woman,  when  he  missed  her, 
swore  very  angrily,  and  said  he  supposed  she  was  pre 
tending  to  be  sick,  but  if  she  was  he  would  soon  cure 
her.  He  then  stepped  into  his  house  and  took  some 
copperas  from  a  little  bag,  and  mixed  it  with  water. 
I  followed  him  to  Lydia' s  cabin,  where  he  compelled 
her  to  drink  this  solution  of  copperas.  It  caused  her 
to  vomit  violently,  and  made  her  exceedingly  sick.  I 
think  to  this  day,  that  this  act  of  the  overseer  was  the 
most  inhuman  of  all  those  that  I  have  seen  perpetra 
ted  upon  defenceless  slaves. 

Lydia  was  removed  that  same  day  to  the  sick  room, 
in  a  state  of  extreme  debility  and  exhaustion.  When 
she  left  this  room  again  she  was  a  corpse.  Her  dis 
ease  was  a  consumption  of  the  lungs,  which  terminated 
her  life  early  in  March.  I  assisted  in  carrying  her  to 


200  bifty  Years  in  CJiains  ;  or, 

the  grave,  which  I  closed  upon  her,  and  covered  with 
green  turf.  She  sleeps  by  the  side  of  her  infant,  in  a 
corner  of  the  negro  grave-yard  of  this  plantation. 
Death  was  to  her  a  welcome  messenger,  who  came  to 
remove  her  from  toil  that  she  could  not  support,  and 
from  misery  that  she  could  not  sustain. 

Christmas  approached,  and  VQ  all  expected  two  01 
three  holidays — but  we  were  disappointed,  as  only 
one  was  all  that  was  allotted  to  us. 

I  went  to  the  field  and  picked  cotton  all  day,  for 
which  I  was  paid  by  the  overseer,  and  at  night  I  had 
a  good  dinner  of  stewed  pork  and  sweet  potatoes. 
Such  were  the  beginning  and  end  of  my  first  Christ 
mas  on  a  cotton  plantation.  We  went  to  work  as 
usual  the  next  morning,  and  continued  our  labor 
through  the  week,  as  if  Christmas  had  been  stricken 
from  the  calendar.  I  had  already  saved  and  laid  by  a 
little  more  than  ten  dollars  in  money,  but  part  of  it 
had  been  given  to  me  at  the  funeral.  I  was  now  much 
in  want  of  clothes,  none  having  been  given  me  since  I 
came  here.  I  had,  at  the  commencement  of  the  cold 
weather,  cut  up  my  old  blanket,  and,  with  the  aid  of 
Lydia,  who  was  a  very  good  seamstress,  converted  it 
into  a  pair  of  trowsers,  and  a  long  roundabout  jacket ; 
but  this  deprived  me  of  my  bed,  which  was  imperfectly 
supplied  by  mats,  which  I  made  of  rushes.  The  mats 
were  very  comfortable  things  to  lie  upon,  but  they 
were  by  n3  means  equa".  to  blankets  for  covering. 


Tlie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  201 

A  report  had  been  current  among  us  for  some  time, 
that  there  would  be  a  distribution  of  clothes  to  the 
people  at  New-Year's  day  ;  but  how  much,  or  what 
kind  of  clothes  we  were  to  get  no  one  pretended  to 
know  except  that  we  were  to  get  shoes,  in  conformity 
to  a  long-established  rule  of  this  plantation.  From 
Christmas  to  New- Year  appeared  a  long  week  to  me, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  appeared  yet  longer  to 
some  of  my  fellow  slaves,  most  of  whom  were  entirely 
barefoot.  I  had  made  moccasins  for  myself,  of  the 
skins  of  squirrels  that  I  had  caught  in  my  traps,  and 
by  this  means  protected  my  feet  from  the  frost,  which 
was  sometimes  very  heavy  and  sharp  in  the  morning. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  .when  we  met  at  the 
blowing  of  the  morning  horn,  the  overseer  told  us  we 
must  all  proceed  to  the  great  house,  where  we  were  to 
receive  our  winter  clothes  ;  and  surely,  no  order  was 
ever  more  willingly  obeyed.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
house  our  master  was  up,  and  we  were  all  called  into 
the  great  court  yard  in  frent  of  the  dwelling.  The 
overseer  now  told  us  that  shoes  would  be  given  to  all 
those  who  were  able  to  go  to  the  field  to  pick  cotton. 
This  deprived  of  shoes  the  children,  and  several  old 
persons,  whose  eye-sight  was  not  sufficiently  clear  to 
enable  them  to  pick  cotton.  A  new  blanket  was  then 
given  to  every  one  above  seven  years  of  age — children 

under  seven  received  no  blanket,  being  left  to  be  pro- 

9* 


202  Fifty  Years  in  Chains,   or, 

vided  for  by  their  parents.  Children  of  this  age  and 
under,  go  entirely  naked,  in  the  day-time,  and  sleep 
with  their  mothers  at  night,  or  are  wrapped  up  to 
gether  in  such  bedding  as  the  mother  may  possess. 

It  may  well  be  supposed,  that  in  our  society,  al 
though  we  were  all  slaves,  and  all  nominally  in  a  con 
dition  of  the  most  perfect  equality,  yet  there  was  in 
fact  a  very  great  difference  in  the  manner  of  living,  in 
the  several  families.  Indeed,  I  doubt  if  there  is  as 
great  a  diversity  in  the  modes  of  life,  in  the  several 
families  of  any  white  village  in  New  York  or  Penn 
sylvania,  containing  a  population  of  three  hundred 
persons,  as  there  was  in  the  several  households  of  our 
quarter.  This  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following 
circumstance  :  Before  I  came  to  reside  in  the  family 
with  whom  I  lived  at  this  time,  they  seldom  tasted 
animal  food,  or  even  fish,  except  on  meat-days,  as 
they  were  called  ;  that  is,  when  meat  was  given  to 
the  people  by  the  overseer,  under  the  orders  of  our 
master.  The  head  of  the  family  was  a  very  quiet, 
worthy  man  ;  but  slothful  and  inactive  in  his  habits. 
When  he  had  come  from  the  field  at  night,  he  seldom 
thought  of  leaving  the  cabin  again  before  morning, 
He  would,  and  did,  make  baskets  and  mats,  and  earn 
ed  some  money  by  these  means  ;  he  also  did  his  regu 
lar  day's  work  on  Sunday  ;  but  all  his  acquirements 
were  net  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  provide  any  kind 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          203 

of  meat  for  his  family.  All  that  his  wife  and  children 
could  do,  was  to  provide  him  with  work  at  his  baskets 
and  mats  ;  and  they  lived  even  then  better  than  some 
of  their  neighbors.  After  I  came  among  them  and 
had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  surrounding 
country,  I  made  as  many  baskets  and  mats  as  he  did, 
and  took  time  to  go  twice  a  week  to  look  at  all  my 
traps. 

As  the  winter  passed  away  and  spring  approached, 
the  proceeds  of  my  hunting  began  to  diminish.  The 
game  became  scarce,  and  both  rackoons  and  opossums 
grew  poor  and  worthless.  It  was  necessary  for  me  to 
discover  some  new  mode  of  improving  the  allowance 
allotted  to  me  by  the  overseer.  I  had  all  my  life  been 
accustomed  to  fishing  in  Maryland,  and  I  now  resolved 
to  resort  to  the  water  for  a  living  ;  the  land  having 
failed  to  furnish  me  a  comfortable  subsistence.  With 
these  views,  I  set  out  one  Sunday  morning,  early  in 
February,  and  went  to  the  river  at  a  distance  of  three 
miles  from  home.  From  the  appearance  of  the  stream 
I  felt  confident  that  it  must  contain  many  fish  ;  and  I 
went  immediately  to  work  to  make  a  weir.  With  the 
help  of  an  axe  that  I  had  with  me,  I  had  finished  be 
fore  night  the  frame-work  of  a  weir  of  pine  sticks, 
lashed  together  with*  white  oak  splits.  I  had  no 
canoe,  but  made  a  raft  of  dry  logs,  upon  which  I  went 
to  a  suitable  place  in  the  river  and  set  my  weir.  I 


204  Fifty  Years  in  CJiains  ;  or, 

afterwards  made  a  small  net  of  twine  that  I  bought  at 
the  store  ;  and  on  next  Thursday  night  I  took  as 
many  fish  from  my  weir  as  filled  a  half  bushel  mea 
sure.  This  was  a  real  treasure — it  was  the  most  for 
tunate  circumstance  that  had  happened  with  me  since 
T  came  to  the  country. 

I  was  enabled  to  show  my  generosity,  but,  like  all 
mankind,  even  in  my  liberality,  I  kept  myself  in  mind. 
I  gave  a  large  fish  to  the  overseer,  and  took  three  more 
to  the  great  house.  These  were  the  first  fresh  fish  that 
had  been  in  the  family  this  season  ;  and  I  was  much 
praised  by  my  master  and  young  mistresses,  for  my 
skill  and  success  in  fishing  ;  but  this  was  all  the  ad 
vantage  I  received  from  this  effort  to  court  the  favor 
of  the  great : — I  did  not  even  get  a  dram.  The  part 
I  had  performed  in  the  detection  of  the  murderers  of 
the  young  lady  was  forgotten,  or  at  least  not  mention 
ed  now.  I  went  away  from  the  house  not  only  disap 
pointed  but  chagrined,  and  thought  with  myself  that 
if  my  master  and  young  mistresses  had  nothing  but 
words  to  give  me  for  my  fish;  we  should  not  C'irry  on 
a  very  large  traffic. 

On  next  Sunday  morning,  a  black  boy  came  from 
the  house,  and  told  me  that  our  master  wished  to  see 
me.  This  summons  was  not  to*be  disobeyed.  When 
I  returned  to  the  mansion,  I  went  round  to  the  kitchen, 
and  sent  word  by  one  of  the  house-slaves  that  I  had 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          205 

come.  The  servant  returned  and  told  me,  that  I  was 
to  stay  in  the  kitchen  and  get  my  breakfast ;  and 
after  that  to  come  into  the  house.  A  very  good  break 
fast  was  sent  to  me  from  my  master's  table,  after  the 
family  had  finished  their  morning  meal  ;  and  when  I 
had  done  with  my  repast  I  went  into  the  parlor.  I 
was  received  with  great  affability  by  my  master,  who 
told  me  he  had  sent  for  me  to  know  if  I  had  been  ac 
customed  to  fish  in  the  place  I  had  come  from.  I  in 
formed  him  that  I  had  been  employed  at  a  fishery  on 
the  Patuxent,  every  spring,  for  several  year^ ;  and 
that  I  thought  I  understood  fishing  with  a  seine,  as 
well  as  most  people.  He  then  asked  me  if  I  could 
knit  a  seine,  to  which  I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 
After  some  other  questions,  he  told  me  that  as  the 
picking  of  cotton  was  nearly  over  for  this  season,  and 
the  fields  must  soon  be  ploughed  up  for  a  new  crop, 
he  had  a  thought  of  having  a  seine  made,  and  of 
placing  me  at  the  head  of  a  fishing  party,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  trying  to  take  a  supply  of  fish  for  his  hands. 
No  communication  could  have  been  more  unexpected 
than  this  was,  and  it  was  almost  as  pleasing  to  me  as 
it  was  unexpected  by  me.  I  now  began  to  hope  that 
there  would  be  some  respite  from  the  labors  of  the 
cotton  field,  and  that  I  should  not  be  doomed  to  drag 
out  a  dull  and  monotonous  existence,  within  the  con 
fines  of  the  enclosures  of  the  plantation. 


206  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

In  Maryland,  the  fishing  season  was  always  one  of 
hard  labor,  it  is  true,  but  also  a  time  of  joy  and  hila 
rity.  We  then  had,  throughout  the  time  of  fishing, 
plenty  of  bread,  and  at  least  bacon  enough  to  fry  our 
fish  with.  We  had  also  a  daily  allowance  of  whisky, 
or  brandy,  and  we  always  considered  ourselves  fortu 
nate  when  we  left  the  farm  to  go  to  the  fishery. 

A  few  days  after  this,  I  was  again  sent  for  by  my 
master,  who  told  me  that  he  had  bought  twine  and 
ropes  for  a  seine,  and  that  I  must  set  to  work  and  knit 
it  as  quickly  as  possible  ;  that  as  he-  did  not  wish  the 
twine  to  be  taken  to  the  quarter,  I  must  remain  with 
the  servants  in  the  kitchen,  and  live  with  them  while 
employed  in  constructing  the  seine.  I  was  assisted  in 
making  the  seine  by  a  black  boy,  whom  I  had  taught 
to  work  with  me  ;  and  by  the  end  of  two  weeks  we 
had  finished  our  job. 

;  While  at  work  on  this  seine,  I  lived  rather  better 
than  I  had  formerly  done  when  residing  at  the  quarter. 
We  received  among  us — twelve  in  number,  including 
the  people  who  worked  in  the  garden — the  refuse  of 
our  master's  table.  In  this  way  we  procured  a  little 
cold  meat  every  day  ;  and  when  there  were  many 
strangers  visiting  the  family,  we  sometimes  procuied 
considerable  quantities  of  cold  and  broken  meats. 

My  new  employment  afforded  me  a  better  opportu 
nity  than  I  had  hitherto  possessed  of  making  correct 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          207 

•bservations  upon  the  domestic  economy  of  my  mas 
ter's  household,  and  of  learning  the  habits  and  modes 
of  life  of  the  persons  who  composed  it.  On  a  great 
cotton  plantation,  such  as  this  of  my  master's,  the 
field  hands,  who  live  in  the  quarter,  are  removed  so 
far  from  the  domestic  circle  of  their  master's  family, 
by  their  servile  condition  and  the  nature  of  their  em 
ployment,  that  they  know  but  little  more  of  the  trans 
actions  within  the  walls  of  the  great  house  than  if  they 
lived  ten  miles  off.  Many  a  slave  has  been  born,  lived 
to  old  age,  and  died  on  a  plantation,  without  ever 
having  been  within  the  walls  of  his  master's  domicile. 
My  master  was  a  widower ;  and  his  house  was  in 
charge  of  his  sister,  a  maiden  lady,  apparently  of  fifty- 
five  or  sixty.  He  had  six  children,  three  sons  and 
three  daughters,  and  all  unmarried  ;  but  only  one  of 
the  sons  was  at  home,  at  the  time  I  came  upon  the 
estate  ;  the  other  two  were  in  some  of  the  northern 
cities — the  one  studying  medicine,  and  the  other  at 
college.  At  the  time  of  knitting  the  twine,  these 
young  gentlemen  had  returned  on  a  visit  to  their  rela 
tions,  and  all  the  brothers  and  sisters  were  now  on  the 
place.  The  young  ladies  were  all  grown  up,  and  mar 
riageable  ;  their  father  was  known  to  be  a  man  of 
great  wealth,  and  the  girls  were  reputed  very  pretty  in 
Carolina  ;  one  of  them,  the  second  of  the  three,  was 
esteemed  a  great  beauty. 


208  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

The  reader  might  deem  my  young  mistress'  pretty 
face  and  graceful  person  altogether  impertinent  to  the 
narrative  of  my  own  life  ;  but  they  had  a  most  mate 
rial  influence  upon  my  fortunes,  and  changed  the  whole 
tenor  of  my  existence.  Had  she  been  less  beautiful, 
or  of  a  temper  less  romantic  and  adventurous,  I  should 
still  have  been  a  slave  in  South  Carolina,  if  yet  alive, 
and  the  world  would  have  been  saved  the  labor  of 
perusing  these  pages. 

Any  one  at  all  acquainted  with  southern  manners, 
will  at  once  see  that  my  master's  house  possessed  at 
tractions  which  would  not  fail  to  draw  within  it  numer 
ous  visiters  ;  and  that  the  head  of  such  a  family  as 
dwelt  under  its  roof  was  not  likely  to  be  without  friends. 

I  had  not  been  at  work  upon  the  seine  a  week  be 
fore  I  discovered,  by  listening  to  the  conversation  of 
my  master  and  the  other  members  of  the  family,  that 
they  prided  themselves  not  a  little  upon  the  antiquity 
of  their  house,  and  the  long  practice  of  a  generous 
hospitality  to  strangers,  and  to  all  respectable  people 
who  chose  to  visit  their  homestead.  All  circumstances 
seemed  to  conspire  to  render  this  house  one  of  the  chief 
seats  of  the  fashion,  the  beauty,  the  wit,  and  the  gal 
lantry  of  South  Carolina.  Scarcely  an  evening  came 
but  it  brought  a  carriage,  and  ladies  and  gentlemen 
and  their  servants  ;  and  every  day  brought  dashing 
young  planters,  mounted  on  horseback,  to  dine  with 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          209 

the  family  ;  but  Sunday  was  the  day  of  the  week  on 
which  the  house  received  the  greatest  accession  of  com 
pany.  My  master  and  family  were  members  of  the 
Episcopal  Church,  and  attended  service  every  Sunday, 
when  the  weather  was  fine,  at  a  church  eight  miles 
distant.  Each  of  my  young  masters  and  mistresses 
had  a  saddle-horse,  and  in  pleasant  weather  they  fre 
quently  all  went  to  church  on  horseback,  leaving  my 
old  master  and  mistress  to  occupy  the  family  carriage 
alone.  I  have  seen  fifteen  or  twenty  young  people 
come  to  my  master's  for  dinner  on  Sunday  from  church  ; 
and  very  often  the  parson,  a  young  man  of  handsome 
appearance,  was  among  them.  I  had  observed  these 
things  long  before,  but  now  I  had  come  to  live  at  the 
house,  and  became  more  familiar  with  them.  Three 
Sundays  intervened  while  I  was  at  work  upon  the  seine, 
and  on  each  of  these  Sundays  more  than  twenty  per 
sons,  besides  the  family,  dined  at  my  master's.  During 
these  three  weeks,  my  young  masters  were  absent  far 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  ;  but  I  observed  that  they 
generally  came  home  on  Sunday  for  dinner.  My  young 
mistresses  were  not  from  home  much,  and  I  believe 
they  never  left  the  plantation  unless  either  their  fathei 
or  some  one  of  their  brothers  was  with  them.  Din 
ner  parties  were  frequent  in  my  master's  house ; 
and  on  these  occasions  of  festivity,  a  black  man,  who 
belonged  to  a  neighboring  estate,  and  who  played 


210  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

fche  violin,  was  sent  for.  I  observed  that  whenever 
this  man  was  sent  for,  he  came,  and  sometimes 
even  came  before  night,  which  appeared  a  little  singu 
lar  to  me,  as  I  knew  the  difficulty  that  colored  people 
had  to  encounter  in  leaving  the  estate  to  which  they 
were  attached. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          211 


CHAPTER    XI. 


in  March,  my  seine  being  now  completed, 
my  master  told  me  I  must  take  with  me  three  other 
black  men,  and  go  to  the  river  to  clear  out  a  fishery. 
This  task  was  a  disagreeble  job,  for  it  was  nothing  less 
than  dragging  out  of  the  river  all  the  old  trees  and 
brush  that  had  sunk  to  the  bottom,  within  the  limits 
of  our  intended  fishing  ground. 

My  master's  eldest  son  had  been  down  the  river,  and 
had  purchased  two  boats,  to  be  used  at  the  fishery  ; 
but  when  I  saw  them,  I  declared  them  to  be  totally  un 
fit  for  that  purpose.  They  were  old  batteaux,  and  so 
leaky  that  they  would  not  have  supported  the  weight 
of  a  seine  and  the  men  necessary  to  lay  it  out.  I 
advised  the  building  of  two  good  canoes  from  some  of 
the  large  yellow  pines  in  the  woods.  My  advice  was 
accepted,  and  together  with  five  others  hands,  I  went 
to  work  at  the  canoes,  which  we  completed  in  less  than 
a  week. 

So  far  things  went  pretty  well,  and  I  flattered  my- 


Fifty   Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 


self  that  I  should  become  the  head  man  at  this  new 
fishery,  and  have  the  command  of  the  other  hands.  I 
also  expected  that  I  should  be  able  to  gain  some  advan 
tage  to  myself,  by  disposing  of  a  part  of  the  small  fish 
that  might  be  taken  at  the  fishery.  I  reckoned  with 
out  my  host. 

My  master  had  only  purchased  this  place  a  short 
time  before  he  bought  me.  Before  that  time  he  did 
not  own  any  place  on  the  river,  fit  for  the  establish 
ment  of  a  fishery.  His  lands  adjoined  the  river  for 
more  than  a  mile  in  extent,  along  its  margin  ;  but  an 
impassable  morass  separated  the  channel  of  the  river, 
from  the  firm  ground,  all  along  his  lines.  He  had 
cleared  the  highest  parts  of  this  morass,  or  swamp,  and 
had  here  made  his  rice  fields  ;  but  he  was  as  entirely 
cut  off  from  the  river,  as  if  an  ocean  had  separated  it 
from  him. 

On  the  day  that  we  launched  the  canoes  into  the 
river,  and  while  we  were  engaged  in  removing  some 
snags  and  old  trees  that  had  stuck  in  the  mud,  near 
the  shore,  an  ill-looking  stranger  came  to  us,  and  told 
us  that  our  master  had  sent  him  to  take  charge  of  the 
fishery,  and  superintend  all  the  work  that  was  to  be 
done  at  it.  This  man,  by  his  contract  with  my  master, 
was  to  receive  a  part  of  all  the  fish  caught,  in  lieu  of 
wages  :  and  was  invested  with  the  same  authority  over 
us  that  was  exercised  by  the  overseer  in  the  cotton  field. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  213 

I  soon  found  that  I  had  cause  to  regret  my  removal 
from  the  plantation.  It  was  found  quite  impossible 
to  remove  the  old  logs,  and  other  rubbish  from  the 
bottom  of  the  river,  without  going  into  the  water,  and 
wrenching  them  from  their  places  with  long  hand 
spikes.  In  performing  this  work  we  were  obliged  to 
wade  up  to  our  shoulders,  and  often  to  dip  our  very 
heads  under  water,  in  raising  the  sunken  timber.  How 
ever,  within  less  than  a  week,  we  had  cleared  the 
ground,  and  now  began  to  haul  our  seine.  At  first, 
we  caught  nothing  but  common  river  fish  ;  but  after 
two  or  three  days,  we  began  to  take  shad.  Of  the  com 
mon  fish,  such  as  pike,  perch,  suckers,  and  others,  we 
had  the  liberty  of  keeping"  as  many  as  we  could  eat ; 
but  the  misfortune  was,  that  we  had  no  pork,  or  fat 
of  any  kind,  to  fry  them  with ;  and  for  several  days 
we  contented  ourselves  with  boiling  them  on  the  coals, 
and  eating  them  with  our  corn  bread  and  sweet  pota 
toes.  We  could  have  lived  well,  if  we  had  been  per 
mitted  to  boil  the  shad  on  the  coals,  and  eat  them  ;  for 
a  fat  shad  will  dress  itself  in  being  broiled,  and  is  very 
good,  without  any  oily  substance  added  to  it. 

All  the  shad  that  we  caught,  were  carefully  taken 
away  by  a  black  man,  who  came  three  times  every  day 
to  the  fishery,  with  a  cart. 

The  master  of  the  fishery  had  a  family  that  lived 
several  miles  up  the  river.  In  the  summer  time,  he 


214  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

fished  with  hooks,  and  small  nets,  when  not  engaged 
in  running  turpentine,  in  the  pine  woods.  In  the 
winter  he  went  back  into  the  pine  forest,  and  made  tar 
of  the  dead  pine  trees  ;  but  returned  to  the  river  at 
the  opening  of  the  spring,  to  take  advantage  of  the 
shad  fishery.  He  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  most 
skillful  fishermen  on  the  Congrace  river,  and  my  mas 
ter  employed  him  to  superintend  his  new  fishery,  un 
der  an  expectation,  I  presume,  that  as  he  was  to  get 
a  tenth  part  of  all  the  fish  that  might  be  caught,  he 
would  make  the  most  of  his  situation.  My  master  had 
not  calculated  with  accuracy  the  force  of  habit,  nor 
the  difficulty  which  men  experience,  in  conducting 
very  simple  affairs,  of  which  they  have  no  practical 
knowledge. 

The  fish-master  did  very  well  for  the  interest  of  his 
employer  for  a  few  days  ;  compelling  us  to  work  in 
hauling  the  seine,  day  and  night,  and  scarcely  permit 
ting  us  to  take  rest  enough  to  obtain  necessary  sleep. 
We  were  compelled  to  work  full  sixteen  hours  every 
day,  including  Sunday  ;  for  in  the  fishing  season  no 
respect  is  paid  to  Sunday  by  fishermen  anywhere.  We 
had  our  usual  quantity  of  bread  and  potatoes,  with 
plenty  of  common  fish  ;  but  no  shad  came  to  our  lot, 
nor  had  we  anything  to  fry  our  fish  with.  A  broiled 
fresh- water  fish  is  not  very  good  at  best,  without  salt 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  215 

or  oil ;  and  after  we  had  eaten  them  every  day,  for  a 
week,  we  cared  very  little  for  them. 

By  this  time  our  fish-master  began  to  relax  in  his 
discipline  ;  not  that  he  became  more  kind  to  us,  or 
required  us  to  do  less  work,  but  to  compel  us  to  work 
all  night,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  sit  up  all  night 
and  watch  us.  This  was  a  degree  of  toil  and  priva 
tion  to  which  he  could  not  bng  submit ;  and  one  even 
ing  soon  after  dark,  he  called  me  to  him,  and  told  me 
that  he  intended  to  make  me  overseer  of  the  fishery 
that  night  ;  and  he  had  no  doubt  I  would  keep  the 
hands  at  work,  and  attend  to  the  business  as  weL 
without  him  as  with  him.  He  then  went  into  his 
cabin,  and  went  to  bed  ;  whilst  I  went  and  laid  out 
the  seine,  and  made  a  very  good  haul.  We  took  more 
than  two  hundred  shad  at  this  draught ;  and  followed 
up  our  work  with  great  industry  all  night,  only  taking 
time  to  eat  our  accustomed  meal  at  midnight. 

Every  fisherman  knows  that  the  night  is  the  best 
time  for  taking  shad  ;  and  the  little  rest  that  had  been 
allowed  us,  since  we  began  to  fish,  had  always  been 
from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  four  in  the 
afternoon  ;  unless  within  that  period  there  was  an 
appearance  of  a  school  of  fish  in  the  river  ;  when  we 
had  to  rise,  and  lay  out  the  seine,  no  matter  at  what 
hour  of  the  day.  The  fish-master  had  been  very 
severe  with  the  hands  since  he  came  amongst  us,  and 


216  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

had  made  very  free  use  of  a  long  hickory  gad  that  he 
sometimes  carried  ahout  with  him  ;  though  at  times 
he  would  relax  his  austerity,  and  talk  quite  familiarly 
with  us, — especially  with  me,  whom  he  perceived  to 
have  some  knowledge  of  the  business  in  which  we  were 
engaged.  The  truth  was,  that  this  man  knew  nothing 
of  fishing  with  a  seine,  and  I  had  been  obliged  from 
the  beginning  to  direct  the  operations  of  laying  out 
and  drawing  in  the  seine  ;  though  the  master  was 
always  very  loud  and  boisterous  in  giving  his  com 
mands,  and  directing  us  in  what  part  of  the  river  we 
should  let  down  the  seine. 

Having  never  been  accustomed  to  regular  work,  or 
to  the  pursuit  of  any  constant  course  of  personal  appli 
cation,  the  master  was  incapable  of  long  continued 
exertion ;  and  I  feel  certain  that  he  could  not  have 
been  prevailed  upon  to  labor  twelve  hours  each  day, 
for  a  year,  if  in  return  he  had  been  certain  of  receiving 
ten  thousand  dollars.  Notwithstanding  this,  he  was 
capable  of  rousing  himself,  and  of  undergoing  any  de 
gree  of  fatigue  or  privation  for  a  short  time,  even  for  a 
few  days.  He  had  not  been  trained  to  habits  of  indus 
try,  and  could  not  bear  the  restraints  of  uniform  labor. 

We  worked  hard  all  night,  the  first  night  of  my 
superintendence,  and  when  the  sun  rose  the  next  morn 
ing,  the  master  had  not  risen  from  his  bed.  As  it  was 
now  the  usual  time  of  dividing  the  fish,  I  called  to 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          217 

him  to  come  and  see  this  business  fairly  done  ;  but  as 
he  did  not  come  down  immediately  tc  the  landing,  I 
proceeded  to  make  the  division  myself,  in  as  equitable 
a  manner  as  I  could  :  giving,  however,  a  full  share  of 
large  fish  to  the  master.  When  he  came  down  to  us, 
and  overlooked  both  the  piles  of  fish — his  own  and 
that  of  my  master — he  was  so  well  satisfied  with  what 
I  had  done,  that  he  said,  if  he  had  known  that  I  would 
do  so  well  for  him,  he  would  not  have  risen.  I  was 
glad  to  hear  this,  as  it  led  me  to  hope  that  I  should 
be  able  to  induce  him  to  stay  in  his  cabin  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  ;  to  do  which,  I  was  well 
issured,  he  felt  disposed. 
When  the  nis-ht  came,  the  master  again  told  me  he 

O  2  O 

should  go  to  bed,  not  being  well,  and  desired  me  to 
do  as  I  had  done  the  night  before.  This  night  we 
cooked  as  many  shad  as  we  could  all  eat ;  but  were 
careful  to  carry,  far  out  into  the  river,  the  scales  and 
entrails  of  the  stolen  fish.  In  the  morning  I  made  a 
division  of  the  fish  before  I  called  the  master,  and 
then  went  and  asked  him  to  come  and  see  what  I  had 
done.  He  was  again  well  pleased,  and  now  proposed 
to  us  all  that  if  we  would  not  let  the  affair  be  known 
to  our  master,  he  would  leave  us  to  manage  the  fishery 
at  night  according  to  our  discretion.  To  this  proposal 
we  all  readily  agreed,  and  I  received  authority  to  keep 

the  other  hands  a^  work,,  until  the  master  would  go 

10 


218  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

and  get  his  breakfast.  I  had  now  accomplished  the 
ohject  that  I  had  held  very  near  my  heart  ever  since 
we  began  to  fish  at  this  place. 

From  this  time  to  the  end  of  the  fishing  season,  we 
all  lived  well,  and  did  not  perform  more  work  than  we 
were  able  to  bear.  I  was  in  no  fear  of  being  punished 
by  the  fish-master;  for  he  was  now  at  least  as  much  in 
my  power  as  I  was  in  his  ;  for  if  my  master  had  known 
the  agreement  that  he  had  made  with  us,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  enabling  himself  to  sleep  all  night  in  his  cabin, 
he  would  have  been  deprived  of  his  situation,  and  all 
the  profits  of  his  share  of  the  fishery. 

There  never  can  be  any  affinity  of  feeling  between 
master  and  slave,  except  in  some  few  isolated  cases, 
where  the  master  has  treated  his  slave  in  such  a  man 
ner  as  to  have  excited  in  him  strong  feelings  of  grati 
tude  ;  or  where  the  slave  entertains  apprehensions, 
that  by  the  death  of  his  master,  or  by  being  separated 
from  him  in  any  other  way,  he  may  fall  under  the 
power  of  a  more  tyrannical  ruler,  or  may  in  some  shape 
be  worsted  by  the  change.  I  was  never  acquainted 
with  a  slave  who  believed  that  he  violated  any  rule  of 
morality  by  appropriating  to  himself  any  thing  that 
belonged  to  his  master,  if  it  was  necessary  to  his  com 
fort.  The  master  might  call  it  theft,  and  brnnd  it 
with  the  name  of  crime  ;  but  the  slave  reasoned  differ 
ently,  when  he  took  a  portion  of  his  master's  goods, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Stave.  219 

to  satisfy  his  hunger,  keep  himself  warm,  or  to  gratify 
his  passion  for  luxurious  enjoyment. 

The  slave  sees  his  master  residing  in  a  spacious  man 
sion,  riding  in  a  fine  carriage,  and  dressed  in  costly 
clothes,  and  attributes  the  possession  of  all  these  enjoy 
ments  to  his  own  labor  ;  whilst  he  who  is  the  cause  of 
so  much  gratification  and  pleasure  to  another,  is  him 
self  deprived  of  even  the  necessary  accommodations  of 
human  life.  Ignorant  men  do  not  and  cannot  reason 
logically  ;  and  in  tracing  things  from  cause  to  effect, 
the  slave  attributes  all  that  he  sees  in  possession  of 
his  master  to  his  own  toil,  without  taking  the  trouble 
to  examine  how  far  the  skill,  judgment,  and  economy 
of  his  master  may  have  contributed  to  the  accumula 
tion  of  the  wealth  by  which  his  residence  is  surround 
ed.  There  is,  in  fact,  a  mutual  dependence  between 
the  master  and  his  slave.  The  former  could  not  acquire 
any  thing  without  the  labor  of  the  latter,  and  the 
latter  would  always  remain  in  poverty  without  the 
judgment  of  the  former  in  directing  labor  to  a  definite 
and  profitable  result. 

After  I  had  obtained  the  virtual  command  of  the 
fishery,  I  was  careful  to  awaken  the  master  every  morn 
ing  at  sunrise,  that  he  might  be  present  when  the 
division  of  the  fish  was  made  ;  and  when  the  morning 
cart  arrived,  that  the  carter  might  not  report  to  rny 
master,  that  the  fish- master  was  in  bed.  I  had  now 


220  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

become  interested  in  preserving  the  good  opinion  of 
my  master  in  favor  of  his  agent. 

Since  my  arrival  in  Carolina  I  had  never  enjoyed  a 
full  meal  of  bacon  ;  and  now  determined,  if  possible, 
to  procure  such  a  supply  of  that  luxury  as  would  ena 
ble  me  and  all  my  fellow-slaves  at  the  fishery  to  regale 
ourselves  at  pleasure.  At  this  season  of  the  year  boats 
frequently  passed  up  the  river,  laden  with  merchandise 
and  goods  of  various  kinds,  among  which  were  gener 
ally  large  quantities  of  salt,  intended  for  curing  fish, 
and  for  other  purposes  on  the  plantations.  These 
boats  also  carried  bacon  and  salted  pork  up  the  river, 
for  sale  ;  but  as  they  never  moved  at  night,  confining 
their  navigation  to  day-light,  and  as  none  of  them  had 
hitherto  stopped  near  our  landing,  we  had  not  met 
with  an  opportunity  of  entering  into  a  traffic  with  any 
of  the  boat  masters.  We  were  not  always  to  be  so 
unfortunate.  One  evening,  in  the  second  week  of  the 
fishing  season,  a  large  keel-boat  was  seen  working  up 
the  river  about  sundown  ;  and  shortly  after,  came  to 
for  the  night,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  direct 
ly  against  our  landing.  We  had  at  the  fishery  a  small 
canoe  called  a  punt,  about  twelve  feet  long  ;  and  when 
we  went  to  lay  out  the  seine,  for  the  first  haul  after 
night,  I  attached  the  punt  to  the  side  of  the  canoe, 
and  when  we  had  finished  letting  dcwn  the  seine,  I 
left  the  other  hands  to  work  it  toward  the  shore,  and 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          221 

ran  over  in  the  punt  to  the  keel-boat  Upon  inqui 
ring  of  the  captain  if  he  had  any  bacon  that  he  would 
exchange  for  shad,  he  said,  he  had  a  little  ;  but,  as 
the  risk  he  would  run  in  dealing  with  a  slave  was  great, 
I  must  expect  to  pay  him  more  than  the  usual  price. 
He  at  length  proposed  to  give  me  a  hundred  pounds 
of  bacon  for  three  hundred  shad.  This  was  at  least 
twice  as  much  as  the  bacon  was  worth ;  but  we  did 
not  bargain  as  men  generally  do,  where  half  of  the 
bargain  is  on  each  side  ;  for  here  the  captain  of  the 
keel-boat  settled  the  terms  for  both  parties.  However, 
he  ran  the  hazard  of  being  prosecuted  for  dealing  with 
slaves,  which  is  a  very  high  offence  in  Carolina  ;  and 
I  was  selling  that  which,  in  point  of  law,  did  not  be 
long  to  me  ;  but  to  which,  nevertheless,  I  felt  in  my 
conscience  that  I  had  a  better  right  than  anjr  other 
person.  In  support  of  the  right,  which  I  felt  to  be 
on  my  side  in  this  case,  came  a  keen  appetite  for  the 
bacon,  which  settled  the  controversy,  upon  the  ques 
tion  of  the  morality  of  this  traffic,  in  my  favor.  It  so 
happened,  that  we  made  a  good  haul  with  our  seine ' 
this  evening,  and  at  the  time  I  returned  to  the  landing, 
the  men  were  all  on  shore,  engaged  in  drawing  in  the 
seine.  As  soon  as  we  had  taken  out  the  fish,  we 
placed  three  hundred  of  them  in  one  of  our  canoes,  and 
pushed  over  to  the  keel-boat,  where  the  fish  were 
counted  out,  and  the  bacon  was  received  into  our  craft 


222  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

with  all  possible  despatch.  One  part  of  this  small 
trade  exhibited  a  trait  of  human  character  which  I 
think  worthy  of  being  noticed.  The  captain  of  the 
boat  was  a  middle-aged,  thin,  sallow  man,  with  long 
bushy  hair ;  and  he  looked  like  one  who  valued  the 
opinions  of  men  but  little.  I  expected  that  he  would 
not  be  scrupulous  in  giving  me  my  full  hundred 
pounds  of  bacon  :  but  in  this  I  was  mistaken  ;  for  he 
weighed  the  flitches  with  great  exactness,  in  a  pair  of 
large  steelyards,  and  gave  me  good  weight.  When 
the  business  was  ended,  and  the  bacon  in  my  canoe, 
he  told  me,  he  hoped  I  was  satisfied  with  him  ;  and 
assured  me,  that  I  should  find  the  bacon  excellent. 
When  I  was  about  pushing  from  the  boat,  he  told  me 
in  a  low  voice,  though  there  was  no  one  who  could 
hear  us,  except  his  own  people — that  he  should  be 
down  the  river  again  in  about  two  weeks,  when  he 
should  be  very  glad  to  buy  any  produce  that  I  had 
for  sale  ;  adding,  "  I  will  give  you  half  as  much  for 
cotton  as  it  is  worth  in  Charleston,  and  pay  you  either 
in  money  or  groceries,  as  you  may  choose.  Take  care, 
and  do  not  betray  yourself,  and  I  shall  be  honest  with 
you." 

I  was  so  much  rejoiced  at  being  in  possession  of  a 
hundred  pounds  of  good  flitch  bacon,  that  I  had  no 
room  in  either  my  head  or  my  heart  for  the  considera 
tion  of  this  man's  notions  of  honesty,  at  the  present 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          223 

time  ;  but  paddled  with  all  strength  for  our  landing, 
where  we  took  the  bacon  from  the  canoe,  stowed  it 
away  in  an  old  salt  barrel,  and  safely  deposited  it  in  a 
hole  dug  for  the  purpose  in  the  floor  of  my  cabin. 

About  this  time,  our  allowance  of  sweet  potatoes 
was  withheld  from  us  altogether,  in  consequence  of 
the  high  price  paid  for  this  article  by  the  captains  of 
the  keel-boats  ;  for  the  purpose,  as  I  heard,  of  sending 
them  to  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Ever  since 
Christmas  we  had  been  permitted  to  draw,  on  each 
Sunday  evening,  either  a  peck  of  corn,  as  usual,  or 
half  a  peck  of  corn  and  half  a  bushel  of  sweet  pota 
toes,  at  our  discretion.  The  half  a  peck  of  corn  and 
the  half  a  bushel  of  potatoes  was  worth  much  more 
than  a  peck  of  corn  ;  but  potatoes  were  so  abundant 
this  year,  that  they  were  of  little  value,  and  the  sav 
ing  of  corn  was  an  object  worth  attending  to  by  a 
large  planter.  The  boatmen  now  offered  half  a  dol 
lar  a  bushel  for  potatoes,  and  we  were  again  restricted 
to  our  corn  ration. 

Notwithstanding  the  privation  of  our  potatoes,  we 
at  the  fishery  lived  sumptuously,  although  our  master 
certainly  believed  that  our  fare  consisted  of  corn-bread 
and  river  fish,  cooked  without  lard  or  butter.  It  was 
necessary  to  be  exceedingly  cautious  in  the  use  of  our 
bacon  ;  and  to  prevent  the  suspicions  of  the  master 
and  others  who  frequented  our  landing,  I  enjoined  our 


224  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

people  never  to  fry  any  of  the  meat,  but  to  boil  it  all. 
No  one  can  smell  boiled  bacon  far ;  but  fried  flitch 
can  be  smelled  a  mile  by  a  good  nose. 

We  had  two  meals  every  night,  one  of  bacon  and 
the  other  of  fried  shad,  which  nearly  deprived  us  of 
all  appetite  for  the  breakfasts  and  dinners  that  we 
prepared  in  the  daytime  ;  consisting  of  cold  corn-bread 
without  salt,  and  broiled  fresh  water  fish,  without  any 
sort  of  seasoning.  We  spent  more  than  two  weeks  in 
this  happy  mode  of  life,  unmolested  by  our  master, 
his  son,  or  the  master  of  the  fishery  ;  except  when  the 
latter  complained,  rather  than  threatened  us,  because 
we  sometimes  suifered  our  seine  to  float  too  far  down 
the  river,  and  get  entangled  among  some  roots  and 
brush  that  lay  on  the  bottom,  immediately  below  our 
fishing  ground.  We  now  expected,  every  evening,  to 
see  the  return  of  the  boatman  who  had  sold  us  the  ba 
con,  and  the  man  who  was  with  me  in  the  canoe  at 
the  time  we  received  it,  had  not  forgotten  the  invita 
tion  of  the  captain  to  trade  with  him  in  cotton  on  his 
return.  My  fellow-slave  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  as 
lie  told  me,  and  had  been  sold  and  brought  to  Caro 
lina  about  ten  years  before  this  time.  He  was  a  good- 
natured,  kind-hearted  man,  and  did  many  acts  of 
benevolence  to  me,  such  as  one  slave  is  able  to  perform 
for  another, "and  I  felt  a  real  affection  for  him  ;  but 
he  had  adopted  the  too  common  rule  of  moral  action, 
that  there  is  no  harm  in  a  slave  rolVKi'ncr  Im  master. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          225 

The  reader  may  suppose,  from  my  account  of  the 
bacon,  that  1;  too,  had  adopted  this  rule  as  a  part  of 
my  creed  ;  but  I  solemnly  declare,  that  this  was  not 
the  case,  and  that  I  never  deprived  any  one  of  all  the 
masters  that  I  have  served,  of  anything  against  his 
consent,  unless  it  was  some  kind  of  food  ;  and  that 
of  all  I  ever  took,  I  am  confident,  I  have  given  away 
more  than  the  half  to  my  fellow-slaves,  whom  I  knew 
to  be  equally  needy  with  myself. 

The  man  who  had  been  with  me  at  the  keel-boat 
told  me  one  day,  that  he  had  laid  a  plan  by  which  we 
could  get  thirty  or  forty  dollars,  if  I  would  join  him 
in  the  execution  of  his  project.  Thirty  or  forty  dollars 
was  a  large  sum  of  money  to  me.  I  had  never  pos 
sessed  so  much  money  at  one  time  in  my  life  ;  and  I 
told  him  that  I  was  willing  to  do  anything  by  which 
we  could  obtain  such  a  treasure.  He  then  told  me, 
that  he  knew  where  the  mule  and  cart,  that  were  used 
by  the  man  who  carried  away  our  fish,  were  kept  at 
night  ;  and  that  he  intended  to  set  out  on  the  first 
dark  night,  and  go  to  the  plantation — harness  the 
mule  to  the  cart — go  to  the  cotton-gin  house — put  two 
bags  of  cotton  into  the  cart — bring  them  to  a  thicket 
of  small  pines  that  grew  on  the  river  bank,  a  short 
distance  below  the  fishery,  and  leave  them  there  until 
the  keel-boat  should  return.  All  that  he  desired  of 

me  was,  to  maks  some  excuse  for  his  absence,  to  the 

10* 


226  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  \    or, 

other  hands,  and  assist  him  to  get  his  cotton  into  the 
canoe,  at  the  coming  of  the  boat. 

I  disliked  the  whole  scheme,  both  on  account  of  its 
iniquity  and  of  the  danger  which  attended  it ;  but  my 
companion  was  not  to  be  discouraged  by  all  the  argu 
ments  which  I  could  use  against  it,  and  said,  if  I 
would  not  participate  in  it,  he  was  determined  to  un 
dertake  it  alone  :  provided  I  would  not  inform  against 
him.  To  this  I  said  nothing  ;  but  he  had  so  often 
heard  me  express  my  detestation  of  one  slave  betray 
ing  another,  that  I  presume  he  felt  easy  on  that  score. 
The  next  night  but  one  after  this  conversation  was 
very  dark,  and  when  we  went  to  lay  out  the  seine 
after  night,  Nero  was  missing.  The  other  people  in 
quired  of  me  if  I  knew  where  he  was,  and  when  I  re 
plied  in  the  negative,  little  more  was  said  on  the  sub 
ject  ;  it  being  common  for  the  slaves  to  absent  them 
selves  from  their  habitations  at  night,  and  if  the  matter 
is  not  discovered  by  the  overseer  or  master,  nothing  is 
ever  said  of  it  by  the  slaves.  The  other  people  sup 
posed  that,  in  this  instance,  Nero  had  gone  to  see  a 
woman  whom  he  lived  with  as  his  wife,  on  a  planta 
tion  a  few  miles  down  the  river  ;  and  were  willing  to 
work  a  little  harder  to  permit  him  to  enjoy  the  plea 
sure  of  seeing  his  family.  He  returned  before  day, 
and  said  he  had  been  to  see  his  wife,  which  satisfied 
the  curiosity  of  our  companions.  The  very  next  even- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          227 

ing  after  Nero's  absence,  the  keel-boat  descended  the 
river,  canie  down  on  our  side,  hailed  us  at  the  fishery, 
and,  drawing  in  to  the  shore  below  our  landing,  made 
her  ropes  fast  among  the  young  pines  of  which  I  have 
spoken  above.  After  we  made  our  first  haul,  I  missed 
Nero  ;  but  he  returned  to  us  before  we  had  laid  out 
the  seine,  and  told  us  that  he  had  been  in  the  woods 
to  collect  some  light-ivood — dry,  resinous  pine — which 
he  brought  on  his  shoulder.  When  the  morning  came, 
the  keel- boat  was  gone,  and  every  thing  wore  the  ordi 
nary  aspect  about  our  fishery  ;  but  when  the  man  came 
with  the  mule  and  the  cart  to  take  away  the  fish,  he 
told  us  that  there  was  great  trouble  on  the  plantation. 
The  overseer  had  discovered  that  some  one  had  stolen 
two  bags  of  cotton  the  last  night,  and  all  the  hands 
were  undergoing  an  examination  on  the  subject.  The 
slaves  on  the  plantation,  one  and  all,  denied  having 
any  knowledge  of  the  matter,  and,  as  there  was  no 
evidence  against  any  one,  the  overseer  threatened,  at 
the  time  he  left  the  quarter,  to  whip  every  hand  on 
the  estate,  for  the  purpose  of  making  them  discover 
who  the  thief  was. 

The  slaves  on  the  plantation  differed  in  opinion  as 
to  the  perpetrator  of  this  theft ;  but  the  greater  num 
ber  concurred  in  charging  it  upon  a  free  negro  man, 
named  Ishmael,  who  lived  in  a  place  called  the  White 
Oak  Woods,  and  foLowed  making  ploughs  and  harrow 


228  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  •  or, 

frames.  He  also  made  handles  for  hoes,  and  the  frame 
work  of  cart  bodies. 

This  man  was  generally  reputed  a  thief  for  a  great 
distance  round  the  country,  and  the  black  people 
charged  him  with  stealing  the  cotton  on  no  other  evi 
dence  than  his  general  bad  character.  The  overseer, 
on  the  other  hand,  expressed  his  opinion  without  hesi 
tation,  which  was,  that  the  cotton  had  been  stolen  by 
some  of  the  people  of  the  plantation,  and  sold  to  a 
poor  white  man,  who  resided  "at  the  distance  of  three 
miles  back  in  the  pine  woods,  and  was  believed  to  have 
dealt  with  slaves,  as  a  receiver  of  their  stolen  goods, 
for  many  years. 

This  white  man  was  one  of  a  class  of  poor  cottagers. 
The  house,  or  cabin,  in  which  he  resided,  was  built  of 
small  poles  of  the  yellow  pine,  with  the  bark  remain 
ing  on  them  ;  the  roof  was  of  clap-boards  of  pine,  and 
the  chimney  was  made  of  sticks  and  mud,  raised  to 
the  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet.  The  appearance  of  the 
man  and  his  wife  was  such  as  one  might  expect  to  find 
in  such  a  dwelling.  The  lowest  poverty  had,  through 
life,  been  the  companion  of  tnese  poor  people,  of  which 
their  clayey  complexions,  haggard  figures,  and  tattered 
garments  gave  the  strongest  proof.  It  appeared  to  me 
that  the  state  of  destitution  in  which  these  people 
lived,  afforded  very  convincing  evidence  that  they  were 
not  in  possession  of  the  proceeds  of  the  stolen  goods  of 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  229 

any  person.  I  had  often  been  at  the  cabin  of  this  man 
in  my  trapping  expeditions,  the  previous  autumn  and 
winter ;  and  I  believe  the  overseer  regarded  the  cir 
cumstance,  that  black  people  often  called  at  his  house, 
as  conclusive  evidence  that  he  held  criminal  intercourse, 
with  them.  However  this  might  be,  the  overseer  de 
termined  to  search  the  premises  of  this  harmless  fores 
ter,  whom  he  resolved,  beforehand,  to  treat  as  a  guilty 
man. 

It  being  known  that  I  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
woods  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  cabin,  I  was  sent 
for,  to  leave  the  fishery,  and  come  to  assist  in  making 
search  for  the  lost  bags  of  cotton — perhaps  it  was  also 
believed  that  I  was  in  the  secrets  of  the  suspected 
house.  It  was  not  thought  prudent  to  trust  any  oi 
the  hands  on  the  plantation  in  making  the  intended 
search,  as  they  were  considered  the  principal  thieves  ; 
whilst  we,  of  the  fishery,  against  whom  no  suspicion 
had  arisen,  were  required  to  give  our  assistance  in  fer 
reting  out  the  perpetrators  of  an  offence  of  the  highest 
grade  that  can  be  committed  by  a  slave  on  a  cotton 
estate. 

Before  leaving  the  fishery,  I  advised  the  master  to 
be  very  careful  not  to  let  the  overseer,  or  my  master 
know,  that  he  had  left  us  to  manage  the  fishery  at 
night,  by  ourselves  ;  since,  as  a  theft  had  been  com 
mitted,  it  might  possibly  be  charged  upon  him,  if  it 


230  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

were  known  that  he  had  allowed  us  so  much  liberty. 
I  said  this  to  put  the  master  on  his  guard  against  sur 
prise  ;  and  to  prevent  him  from  saying  anything  that 
might  turn  the  attention  of  the  overseer  to  the  hands 
at  the  fishery  ;  for  I  knew  that  if  punishment  were  to 
fall  amongst  us,  it  would  be  quite  as  likely  to  reach  the 
innocent  as  the  guitly — besides,  though  I  was  innocent 
of  the  bags  of  cotton,  I  was  guilty  of  the  bacon,  and, 
however  I  might  make  distinctions  between  the  moral 
turpitude  of  the  two  cases,  I  knew  that  if  discovered, 
they  would  both  be  treated  alike. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  quarter,  whither  I  repaired, 
in  obedience  to  the  orders  I  received,  I  found  the  over 
seer  with  my  master's  eldest  son,  and  a  young  white 
man,  who  had  been  employed  to  repair  the  cotton-gin, 
waiting  for  me.  I  observed  when  I  came  near  the  over 
seer,  that  he  looked  at  me  very  attentively,  and  after 
wards  called  my  young  master  aside,  and  spoke  to 
him  in  a  tone  of  voice  too  low  to  be  heard  by  me.  The 
white  gentlemen  then  mounted  their  horses,  and  set  off 
by  the  road  for  the  cabin  of  the  white  man.  I  had 
orders  to  take  a  short  route,  through  the  woods  and 
across  a  swamp,  by  which  I  could  reach  the  cabin  as 
goon  as  the  overseer. 

The  attentive  examination  that  the  overseer  had 
given  me,  caused  me  to  feel  uneasy,  although  I  could 
not  divine  the  cause  of  his  scrutiny,  nor  of  the  subject 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          231 

of  the  short  conversation  between  him  and  my  young 
master.  By  traveling  at  a  rapid  pace,  I  arrived  at  the 
cabin  of  the  suspected  man  before  the  gentlemen,  but 
thought  it  prudent  not  to  approach  it  before  they  came 
up,  lest  it  might  be  imagined  that  I  had  gone  in  to 
give  information  to  the  occupants  of  the  danger  that 
threatened  them. 

Here  I  had  a  hard  struggle  with  my  conscience, 
which  seemed  to  say  to  me,  that  I  ought  at  once  to 
disclose  all  I  knew  concerning  the  lost  bags  of  cotton, 
for  the  purpose  of  saving  these  poor  people  from  the 
terror  that  they  must  necessarily  feel  at  the  sight  of 
those  who  were  coming  to  accuse  them  of  a  great  crime, 
perhaps  from  the  afflictions  and  sufferings  attendant 
upon  a  prosecution  in  a  court  of  justice.  These  re 
flections  were  cut  short  by  the  arrival  of  the  party  of 
gentlemen,  who  passed  me  where  I  sat,  at  the  side  of 
the  path,  with  no  other  notice  than  a  simple  command 
of  the  overseer  to  come  on.  I  followed  them  into  the 
cabin,  where  we  found  the  man  and  his  wife,  with  two 
little  children,  eating  roasted  potatoes. 

The  overseer  saluted  this  family  by  telling  them 
that  we  had  come  to  search  the  house  for  stolen  cotton. 
That  it  was  well  known  that  he  had  long  been  dealing 
with  negroes,  and  they  were  now  determined  to  bring 
him  to  punishment.  I  was  then  ordered  to  tear  up 
the  floor  of  the  cabin,  whilst  the  overseer  mounted  into 


232  Fifty  Years  in  Qliains  ;  or, 

the  loft.  I  found  nothing  under  the  floor,  and  tho 
overseer  had  no  better  success  above.  The  wife  was 
then  advised  to  confess  where  her  husband  had  con 
cealed  the  cotton,  to  save  herself  from  being  brought 
in  as  a  party  to  the  affair ;  but  this  poor  woman  pro 
tested  with  tears  that  they  were  totally  ignorant  of  the 
whole  matter.  Whilst  the  wife  was  interrogated,  the 
father  stood  without  his  own  door,  trembling  with  fear, 
but,  as  I  could  perceive,  indignant  with  rage. 

The  overseer,  who  was  fluent  in  the  use  of  profane 
language,  exerted  the  highest  degree  of  his  vulgar  elo 
quence  upon  these  harmless  people,  whose  only  crime 
was  their  poverty,  and  whose  weakness  alone  had  invi 
ted  the  ruthless  aggression  of  their  powerful  and  rich 
neighbors. 

Finding  nothing  in  the  house,  the  gentlemen  set  out 
to  scour  the  woods  around  the  cabin,  and  commanded 
me  to  take  the  lead  in  tracing  out  tree  tops  and  thick 
ets,  where  it  was  most  likely  that  the  stolen  cotton 
might  be  found.  Our  search  was  in  vain,  as  I  knew 
it  would  be  beforehand  ;  but  when  weary  of  ranging  in 
the  woods,  the  gentlemen  again  returned  to  the  cabin, 
which  we  now  found  without  inhabitants.  The  alarm 
caused  by  our  visit,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  gen 
tlemen  had  treated  this  lonely  family,  had  caused  them 
to  abandon  their  dwelling,  and  seek  safety  in  flight 
The  door  of  the  house*was  closed  and  fastened  with  s 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  233 


string  to  a  nail  in  the  post  of  the  door.  After  calling 
several  times  for  the  fugitives,  and  receiving  no  answer, 
the  door  was  kicked  open  by  my  young  master  ;  the 
few  articles  of  miserable  furniture  that  the  cabin  con 
tained,  including  a  bed,  made  of  flags,  were  thrown 
into  a  heap  in  the  corner,  and  fire  was  set  to  the  dwell 
ing  by  the  overseer. 

We-  remained  until  the  flames  had  reached  the  roof 
of  the  cabin,  when  the  gentlemen  mounted  their  horses 
and  set  off  for  home,  ordering  me  to  return  by  the  way 
that  I  had  come.  When  we  again  reached  the  house 
of  my  master,  several  gentlemen  of  the  neighborhood 
had  assembled,  drawn  together  by  common  interest 
that  is  felt  amongst  the  planters  to  punish  theft,  and 
particularly  a  theft  of  cotton  in  the  bag.  My  young 
master  related  to  his  neighbors,  with  great  apparent 
satisfaction,  the  exploits  of  the  morning  ;  said  he  had 
routed  one  receiver  of  stolen  goods  out  of  the  country, 
and  that  all  others  of  his  character  ought  to  be  dealt 
with  in  the  same  manner.  In  this  opinion  all  the 
gentlemen  present  concurred,  and  after  much  conver 
sation  on  the  subject,  it  was  agreed  to  call  a  genera 
meeting  for  the  purpose  of  devising  the  best,  surest 
and  most  peaceful  method  of  removing  from  the  coun 
try  the  many  white  men  who,  residing  in  the  district 
without  property,  or  without  interest  in  preserving  the 
morals  of  the  slaves,  were  believed  to  carry  on  an  un- 


23  t  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

lawful  and  criminal  traffic  with  the  negroes,  to  the 
great  injury  of  the  planters  in  general,  and  of  the 
masters  of  the  slaves  who  dealt  with  the  offenders  in 
particular. 

I  was  present  at  this  preliminary  consultation,  which 
took  place  at  my  master's  cotton-gin,  whither  the  gen 
tlemen  had  repaired  for  the  purpose  of  looking  at  the 
place  where  the  cotton  had  been  removed.  So  many 
cases  of  this  forbidden  traffic  between  the  slaves  and 
these  "  white  negro  dealers/'  as  they  were  termed,  were 
here  related  by  the  different  gentlemen,  and  so  many 
white  men  were  referred  to  by  name  as  being  concerned 
in  this  criminal  business,  that  I  began  to  suppose  the 
losses  of  the  planters  in  this  way  must  be  immense. 
This  conference  continued  until  I  had  totally  forgotten 
the  scrutinizing  look  that  I  had  received  from  our  over 
seer  at  the  time  I  came  up  from  the  fishery  in  the 
morning  ;  but  the  period  had  now  come  when  I  again 
was  to  be  reminded  of  this  circumstance,  for  on  a  sud 
den  the  overseer  called  me  to  come  forward  and  let 
the  gentlemen  see  me.  I  again  felt  a  sort  of  vague 
and  undefinable  apprehension  that  no  good  was  to  grow 
out  of  this  examination  of  my  person,  but  a  command 
i»f  our  overseer  was  not  to  be  disobeyed.  After  looking 
at  my  face,  with  a  kind  of  leer  or  side  glance,  one  of 
the  gentlemen,  who  was  an  entire  stranger  to  me,  and 
whom  I  had  never  before  seen,  said,  "  Boy,  you  appear 


The  Life  cf  an  American  Slave.          235 

to  live  well ;  how  much  meat  does  your  master  allow 
you  in  a  week  ?"  I  was  almost  totally  confounded  at 
the  name  of  meat,  and  felt  the  blood  rush  to  my  heart, 
but  nevertheless  forced  a  sort  of  smile  upon  my  face, 
and  replied,  "  My  master  has  been  very  kind  to  all  his 
people  of  late,  but  has  not  allowed  us  any  meat  for 
some  weeks.  We  have  plenty  of  good  bread,  and 
abundance  of  river  fish,  which,  together  with  the  heads 
and  roes  of  the  shad  that  we  have  salted  at  the  land 
ing,  makes  a  very  excellent  living  for  us  ;  though  if 
master  would  please  to  give  us  a  little  meat  now  and 
then,  we  should  be  very  thankful  for  it." 

This  speech,  which  contained  all  the  eloquence  I 
was  master  of  at  the  time,  seemed  to  produce  some 
effect  in  my  favor,  for  the  gentleman  said  nothing  in 
reply,  until  the  overseer,  rising  from  a  board  on  which 
he  had  been  sitting,  came  close  up  to  me  and  said, 
" Charles,  you  need  not  tell  lies  about  it;  you  have 
been  eating  meat,  I  know  you  have,  no  negro  could 
look  as  fat,  and  sleek,  and  black,  and  greasy,  as  you, 
if  he  had  nothing  to  eat  but  corn  bread  and  river  chubs. 
You  do  not  look  at  all  as  you  did  before  you  went  to 
the  fishery  ;  and  all  the  hands  on  the  plantation  have 
had  as  many  chubs  and  other  river  fish  as  they  could 
eat,  as  well  as  you,  and  yet  they  are  as  poor  as  snakes 
in  comparison  with  you.  Come,  tell  the  truth,  let  us 
know  where  you  get  the  meat  that  you  have  been 


236  Fifty  Tears  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

eating,  and  you  shall  not  be  whipped/'  I  "begged  the 
overseer  and  the  other  gentlemen  not  to  ridicule  01 
make  sport  of  me,  because  I  was  a  poor  slave,  and  was 
obliged  to  live  on  bread  and  fresh  water  fish  ;  and  con 
cluded  this  second  harangue  by  expressing  my  thank 
fulness  to  God  Almighty,  for  giving  me  such  good 
health  and  strength  as  to  enable  me  to  do  my  work, 
and  look  so  well  as  I  did  upon  such  poor  fare  ;  adding, 
that  if  I  only  had  as  much  bacon  as  I  could  eat,  they 
would  soon  see  a  man  of  a  different  appearance  from 
that  which  I  now  exhibited.  "  None  of  your  palaver/' 
rejoined  the  overseer — "  Why,  I  smell  the  meat  in  you 
this  moment.  Do  I  not  see  the  grease  as  it  runs  out 
of  your  face  ?"  I  was  by  this  time  in  a  profuse  sweat, 
caused  by  the  anxiety  of  my  feelings,  and  simply  said, 
"  Master  sees  me  sweat,  I  suppose." 

All  the  gentlemen  present  then  declared,  with  one 
accord,  that  I  must  have  been  living  on  meat  for 
a  long  time,  as  no  negro,  who  had  no  meat  to  eat, 
could  look  as  I  did  ;  and  one  of  the  company  advised 
the  overseer  to  whip  me,  and  compel  me  to  confess  the 
truth.  I  have  no  doubt  but  this  advice  would  have 
been  practically  followed,  had  it  not  been  for  a  happy 
though  dangerous  suggestion  of  my  own  mind,  at  this 
moment.  It  was  no  other  than  a  proposal  on  my 
part,  that  I  should  be  taken  to  the  landing,  and  if  all 
the  people  there  did  not  look  as  well  and  as  much 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave  237 

like  meat-eaters  as  I  did,  then  I  would  agree  to  be 
whipped  in  any  way  the  gentlemen  should  deem  ex 
pedient.  This  offer  on  my  part  was  instantly  accept 
ed  by  the  gentlemen,  and  it  was  agreed  among  them 
that  they  would  all  go  to  the  landing  with  the  over 
seer,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  me  condemned 
by  the  judgment  to  which  I  had  voluntarily  chosen  to 
submit  myself,  and  partly  for  the  purpose  of  seeing 
my  master's  new  fishery. 

We  were  quickly  at  the  landing,  though  four  miles 
distant  ;  and  I  now  felt  confident  that  I  should  escape 
the  dangers  that  beset  me,  provided  the  master  of  the 
fishery  did  not  betray  his  own  negligence  and  lead 
himself,  as  well  as  others,  into  new  troubles. 

Though  on  foot,  I  was  at  the  landing  as  soon  as 
the  gentlemen,  and  was  first  to  announce  to  the  mas 
ter  the  feats  we  had  performed  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  adding,  with  great  emphasis,  and  even  confi 
dence  in  my  manner,  "  You  know,  master  fish-master, 
whether  we  have  had  any  meat  to  eat  here  or  not.  If 
we  had  meat  here,  would  not  you  see  it  ?  You  have 
been  up  with  us  every  night,  and  know  that  we  have 
not  been  allowed  to  take  even  shad,  let  alone  having 
meat  to  eat."  The  fish-master  supported  me  in  all  I 
said  ;  declared  we  had  been  good  boys — had  worked 
night  and  day,  of  his  certain  knowledge,  as  he  had 
been  with  us  all  nuditand  every  night  since  wo  began 


238  Fifty   Fears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

to  fish.  That  he  had  not  allowed  us  to  eat  anything 
but  fresh  water  fish,  and  the  heads  and  roes  of  the 
shad  that  were  salted  at  the  landing.  As  to  meat,  he 
said  he  was  willing  to  be  qualified  on  a  cart-load  of 
Testaments  that  there  had  not  been  a  pound  at  the 
landing  since  the  commencement  of  the  season,  except 
that  which  he  had  in  his  own  cabin.  I  had  now  ac 
quired  confidence,  and  desired  the  gentlemen  to  look 
at  Nero  and  the  other  hands,  all  of  whom  has  as  much 
the  appearance  of  bacon  eaters  as  myself.  This  was 
the  truth,  especially  with  regard  to  one  of  the  men, 
who  was  much  fatter  than  I  was. 

The  gentlemen  now  began  to  doubt  the  evidence  of 
their  own  senses,  which  they  had  held  infallible  here 
tofore.  I  showed  the  fine  fish  that  we  had  to  eat ; 
cat,  perch,  mullets,  and  especially  two  large  pikes, 
that  had  been  caught  to-day,  and  assured  them  that 
upon  such  fare  as  this,  men  must  needs  get  fat.  I 
now  perceived  that  victory  was  with  me  for  once.  All 
the  gentlemen  faltered,  hesitated,  and  began  to  talk  of 
other  affairs,  except  the  overseer,  who  still  ran  about 
the  landing,  swearing  and  scratching  his  head,  and 
saying  it  was  strange  that  we  were  so  fat,  whilst  the 
hands  on  the  plantation  were  as  lean  as  sand-hill 
cranes.  He  was  obliged  to  give  the  affair  over.  He 
was  no  longer  supported  by  my  young  master  and  nis 
companions,  all  of  whom  congratulated  themselves 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          239 


upon  a  discovery  so  useful  and  valuable  to  the  plant 
ing  interest ;  and  all  determined  to  provide,  as  soon 
as  possible,  a  proper  supply  of  fresh  river  fish  for  their 
hands. 

The  two  bales  of  cotton  were  never  once  named, 
and,  I  suppose,  were  not  thought  of  by  the  gentlemen, 
when  at  the  landing  ;  and  this  was  well  for  Nero  ;  for 
such  was  the  consternation  and  terror  into  which  he 
was  thrown  by  the  presence  of  the  gentlemen,  and 
their  inquiries  concerning  our  eating  of  meat,  that  the 
sweat  rolled  off  him  like  rain  from  the  plant  never- 
wet  ;  his  countenance  was  wild  and  haggard,  and  his 
knees  shook  like  the  wooden  spring  of  a  wheat-fan. 
1  believe,  that  if  they  had  charged  him  at  once  with 
stealing  the  cotton,  he  wou!  d  have  confessed  the  deed. 


240  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    XII. 

AFTER  this  the  fishing  season  passed  off  without 
anything  having  happened,  worthy  of  being  noticed 
here.  When  we  left  the  fishery  and  returned  to  the 
plantation,,  which  was  after  the  middle  of  April;  the 
corn  and  cotton  had  been  planted,  and  the  latter  had 
been  replanted.  I  was  set  to  plough,  with  two  mules 
for  my  team  ;  and  having  never  been  accustomed  to 
ploughing  with  these  animals,  I  had  much  trouble 
with  them  at  first.  My  master  owned  more  than  forty 
mules,  and  at  this  season  of  the  year,  they  were  all  at 
work  in  the  cotton  field,  used  instead  of  horses  for 
drawing  ploughs.  Some  of  the  largest  were  hitched 
single  to  a  plough ;  but  the  smallest  were  coupled 
together. 

y      On  the  whole,  the  fishery  had  been  a  losing  affair 

.  with  me  ;  for  although  I  had  lived  better  at  the  land- 

!  ing  than  I  usually  did  at  the  plantation,  yet  I  had 

been  compelled  to  work  all  the  time,  by  night  and  by 

day,  including  Sunday,  for  my  master  ;  by  which  T 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          241 

had  lost  all  that  I  could  have  earned  for  my  own  bene 
fit,  had  I  been  on  the  plantation.  I  had  now  become 
so  well  acquainted  with  the  rules  of  the  plantation 
and  the  customs  of  the  country  where  I  lived,  that  I 
experienced  less  distress  than  I  did  at  my  first  coming 
to  the  South. 

We  now  received  a  shad  every  Sunday  evening  with 
our  peck  of  corn.  The  fish  were  those  that  I  had 
caught  in  the  spring,  and  were  tolerably  preserved. 
In  addition  to  all  this,  each  one  of  the  hands  now  re 
ceived  a  pint  of  vinegar  every  week.  This  vinegar 
was  a  great  comfort  to  me.  As  the  weather  became 
hot,  I  gathered  lettuce  and  other  salads,  from  my 
garden  in  the  woods  ;  which,  with  the  vinegar  and 
bread,  furnished  me  many  a  cheerful  meal.  The 
vinegar  had  been  furnished  to  us  by  our  master,  more 
out  of  regard  to  OUP  health  than  to  our  comfort,  but 
it  greatly  promoted  both. 

The  affairs  of  the  plantation  now  went  on  quietly, 
until  after  the  cotton  had  been  ploughed  and  hoed 
the  first  time,  after  replanting.  The  working  of  the 
cotton  crop  is  not  disagreeable  labor — no  more  so  than 
the  culture  of  corn — but  we  were  called  upon  to  per 
form  a  kind  of  labor,  than  which  none  can  be  more 
toilsome  to  the  body  or  dangerous  to  the  health. 

I  have  elsewhere  informed  the  reader  that  my  mas 
ter  was  a  cultivator  of  rice  as  well  as  of  cotton. 

11 


242  Fifty   Years  in  Chains;  or, 

Whilst  I  was  at  the  fishery  in  the  spring,  thirty  acres 
of  swamp  land  had  "been  cleared  off,  ploughed  and 
planted  in  rice.  The  water  had  now  been  turned  off 
the  plants,  and  the  field  was  to  be  ploughed  and  hoed. 
When  we  were  taken  to  the  rice  field,  the  weather 
was  very  hot,  and  the  ground  was  yet  muddy  and  wet. 
The  ploughs  were  to  be  dragged  through  the  wet  soil, 
and  the  young  rice  had  to  be  cleaned  of  weeds,  by  the 
hand,  and  hilled  up  with  the  hoe. 

It  is  the  common  opinion,  that  no  stranger  can  work 
a  week  in«  a  rice  swamp,  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
without  becoming  sick  ;  and  all  the  new  hands,  three 
in  number,  besides  myself,  were  taken  ill  within  the 
first  five  days  after  we  had  entered  this  field.  The 
other  three  were  removed  to  the  sick  room  ;  but  I  did 
not  go  there,  choosing  rather  to  remain  at  the  quarter, 
where  I  was  my  own  master,  except  that  the  doctor, 
who-  called  to  see  me,  took  a  large  quantity  of  blood 
from  my  arm,  and  compelled  me  to  take  a  close  of 
some  sort  of  medicine  that  made  me  very  sick,  and 
caused  me  to  vomit  violently.  This  happened  on  the 
second  day  of  my  illness,  and  from  this  time  I  recover 
ed  slowly,  but  was  not  able  to  go  to  the  field  again 
for  more  than  a  week.  Here  it  is  but  justice  to  my 
master  to  say,  that  during  all  the  time  of  my  illness, 
some  one  came  from  the  great  house  every  day.  to  in 
quire  after  me,,  and  to  offer  me  some  kind  of  light  and 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          243 

cool  refreshment.  I  might  have  gone  to  the  sick  room 
at  any  time,  if  I  had  chosen  to  do  so. 

An  opinion  generally  prevails  among  the  people  of 
both  colors,  that  the  drug  copperas  is  very  poisonous 
— and  perhaps  it  may  be  so,  if  taken  in  large  quanti 
ties — but  the  circumstance,  that  it  is  used  in  medi 
cine,  seems  to  forbid  the  notion  of  its  poisonous  quali 
ties.  I  believe  copperas  was  mingled  with  the  potion 
the  doctor  gave  me.  Some  overseers  keep  copperas 
by  them,  as  a  medicine,  to  be  administered  to  the 
hands  whenever  they  become  sick  ;  but  this  I  take  to 
be  a  bad  practice,  for  although,  in  some  cases,  this  drug 
may  be  very  efficacious,  it  certainly  should  be  adminis 
tered  by  a  more  skillful  hand  than  that  of  an  overseer. 
It,  however,  has  the  effect  of  deterring  the  people 
from  complaining  of  illness,  until  they  are  no  longer 
able  to  work  ;  for  it  is  the  most  nauseous  and  sicken 
ing  medicine  that  was  ever  taken  into  the  stomach. 
Ignorant,  or  malicious  overseer  may,  and  often  do,  mis 
apply  it,  as  was  the  case  with  our  overseer,  when  he 
compelled  poor  Lydia  to  take  a  draught  of  its  solution. 
After  the  restoration  of  my  health,  I  resumed  my  ac 
customed  labor  in  the  field,  and  continued  it  without 
intermission,  until  I  left  this  plantation. 

We  had  this  year,  as  a  part  of  our  crop,  ten  acres  oi 
indigo.  This  plant  is  worked  nearly  after  the  manner 
of  rice,  except  that  it  is  planted  on  high  and  dry 


244  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

ground,  whilst  the  rice  is  always  cultivated  in  low 
swamps,  where  the  ground  may  be  inundated  with 
water ;  but  notwithstanding  its  location  on  dry  ground, 
the  culture  of  indigo  is  not  less  unpleasant  than  that 
of  rice.  When  tne  rice  is  ripe,  and  ready  for  the 
sickle,  it  is  no  longer  disagreeable  ;  but  when  the 
indigo  is  ripe  and  ready  to  cut,  the  troubles  attendant 
upon  it  have  only  commenced. 

The  indigo  plant  bears  more  resemblance  to  the  weed 
sailed  wild  indigo,  which  is  common  in  the  woods  of 
Pennsylvania,  than  to  any  other  herb  with  which  I  am 
acquainted. 

The  root  of  the  indigo  plant  is  long  and  slender, 
and  emits  a  scent  somewhat  like  that  of  parsley.  From 
me  root  issues  a  single  stem,  straight,  hard,  and  slen- 
ler,  covered  with  a  bark,  a  little  cracked  on  its  surface, 
Df  a  gray  color  towards  the  bottom,  green  in  the  mid 
dle,  reddish  at  the  extremity,  and  without  the  appear 
ance  of  pith  in  the  inside.  The  leaves  ranged  in  pairs 
around  the  stalk,  are  of  an  oval  form — smooth,  soft  to 
the  touch,  furrowed  above,  and  of  a  deep  green  on  the 
under  side.  The  upper  parts  of  the  plant  are  loaded 
with  small  flowers,  destitute  of  smell.  Each  flower 
changes  into  a  pod,  enclosing  seed. 

This  plant  thives  best  in  a  rich,  moist  soil.  The 
seeds  are  black,  very  small,  and  sowed  in  straight  drills. 
This  crop  requires  very  careful  culture,  and  must  be 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          245 

kept  free  from  every  kind  of  weeds  and  grass.  It 
ripens  within  less  than  three  months  from  the  time  it 
is  sown.  When  it  begins  to  flower,  the  top  is  cut  off, 
and,  as  new  flowers  appear,  the  plant  is  again  pruned, 
until  the  end  of  the  season. 

Indigo  impoverishes  land  more  rapidly  than  almost 
any  other  crop,  and  the  plant  must  be  gathered  in 
with  great  caution,  for  fear  of  shaking  off  the  valuable 
farina  that  lies  in  the  leaves.  When  gathered,  it  is 
thrown  into  the  steeping  vat — a  large  tub  filled  with 
water — -here  it  undergoes  a  fermentation,  which,  in 
twenty-four  hours  at  farthest,  is  completed.  A  cock 
is  then  turned  to  let  the  water  run  into  the  second  tub, 
called  the  mortar,  or  pounding  tub  :  the  steeping  vat 
is  then  cleaned  out,  that  fresh  plants  may  be  thrown 
in,  and  thus  the  work  is  continued  without  interrup 
tion.  The  water  in  the  pounding  tub  is  stirred  with 
wooden  buckets,  with  holes  in  their  bottoms,  for  several 
days  ;  and,  after  the  sediment  contained  in  the  watei 
has  settled  to  the  bottom  of  the  tub,  the  water  is  let 
off,  and  the  sediment,  which  is  the  indigo  of  commerce, 
is  gathered  into  bags,  and  hung  up  to  drain.  It  is 
afterwards  pressed,  and  laid  away  to  dry  in  cakes,  and 
then  packed  in  chests  for  market. 

Washing  at  the  tubs  is  exceedingly  unpleasant,  both 
on  account  of  the  filth  and  the  stench  arising  from  the 
decomposition  of  the  plants, 


246  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

1 _ ,      

In  the  early  part  of  June,  our  shad,  that  each  ono 
had  heen  used  to  receive,  was  withheld  from  us,  and 
we  no  longer  received  any  thing  but  the  peck  of  corn 
and  pint  of  vinegar.  This  circumstance,  in  a  commu 
nity  less  severely  disciplined  than  ours,  might  have 
procured  murmurs  ;  but  to  us  it  was  only  announced 
by  the  fact  of  the  fish  not  being  distributed  to  us  on 
Sunday  evening. 

This  was  considered  a  fortunate  season  by  our  peo 
ple.  There  had  been  no  exemplary  punishment  in 
flicted  amongst  us  for  several  months ;  we  had  escaped 
entirely  upon  the  occasion  of  the  stolen  bags  of  cotton, 
though  nothing  less  was  to  have  been  looked  for,  on  that 
occurrence,  than  a  general  whipping  of  the  whole  gang. 

There  was  more  or  less  of  whipping  amongst  us 
every  week  ;  frequently  one  was  flogged  every  evening, 
over  and  above  the  punishments  that  followed  on  each 
settlement  day  ;  but  these  chastisements,  which  sel 
dom  exceeded  ten  or  twenty  lashes,  were  of  little  im 
port.  I  was  careful,  for  my  own  part,  to  conform  to 
all  the  regulations  of  the  plantation. 

When  I  no  longer  received  my  fish  from  the  over 
seer,  I  found  it  necessary  again  to  resort  to  my  own  ex 
pedients  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  something  in  the 
shape  of  animal  food,  to  add  to  my  bread  and  greens. 

I  had,  by  this  time,  become  well  acquainted  with 
the  woods  and  swamps  for  several  miles  round  our 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave. 


plantation  ;  and  this  being  the  season  when  the  tur 
tles  came  upon  the  land,  to  deposit  their  eggs,  I  avail 
ed  myself  of  it,  and  going  out  one  Sunday  morning, 
caught,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  by  traveling  cautiously 
around  the  edges  of  the  swamps,  ten  snapping  turtles, 
four  of  which  were  very  large.  As  I  caught  these  crea 
tures,  I  tied  each  one  with  hickory  bark,  and  hung  it 
up  to  the  bough  of  a  tree,  so  that  I  could  come  and 
carry  it  home  at  my  leisure. 

I  afterwards  carried  my  turtles  home,  and  put  them 
into  a  hole  that  I  dug  in  the  ground,  four  or  five  feet 
deep,  and  secured  the  sides  by  driving  small  pieces  of 
split  timber  into  the  ground,  quite  round  the  circum 
ference  of  the  hole,  the  upper  ends  of  the  timber  stand 
ing  out  above  th£  ground.  Into  this  hole  I  poured 
water  at  pleasure,  and  kept  my  turtles  until  I  needed 
them. 

On  the  next  Sunday,  I  again  went  to  the  swamps  to 
search  for  turtles  ;  but  as  the  period  of  laying  their 
eggs  had  nearly  passed,  I  had  poor  success  to-day, 
only  taking  two  turtles  of  the  species  called  skill-pots 
— a  kind  of  large  terrapin,  with  a  speckled  back  and 
red  belly. 

This  day,  when  I  was  three  or  four  miles  from  home, 
in  a  very  solitary  part  of  the  swamps,  I  heard  the 
sound  of  bells,  similar  to  those  which  wagoners  place 
on  the  shoulders  of  their  horses.  At  first,  the  noise  of 


248  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

bells  of  this  kind,  in  a  place  where  they  were  so  unex 
pected,  alarmed  me,  as  I  could  not  imagine  who  or 
what  it  was  that  was  causing  these  bells  to  ring.  I 
was  standing  near  a  pond  of  water,  and  listening  at 
tentively  ;  I  thought  the  bells  were  moving  in  the 
woods,  and  coming  toward  me.  I  therefore  crouched 
down  upon  the  ground,  under  cover  of  a  cluster  of 
small  bushes  that  were  near  me,  and  lay,  not  free  from 
disquietude,  to  await  the  near  approach  of  these  mys 
terious  bells. 

Sometimes  they  were  quite  silent  for  a  minute  01 
more  at  a  time,  and  then  again  would  jingle  quick, 
but  not  loud.  They  were  evidently  approaching  me  ; 
and  at  length  I  heard  footsteps  distinctly  in  the  leaves, 
which  lay  dry  upon  the  ground.  A  feeling  of  horror 
seized  me  at  this  moment,  for  I  now  recollected  that  I 
was  on  the  verge  of  the  swamp,  near  which  the  vul 
tures  and  carrion  crows  had  mangled  the  living  bodies 
of  the  two  murderers  ;  and  my  terror  was  not  abated, 
when,  a  moment  after,  I  saw  come  from  behind  a  large 
tree  the  form  of  a  brawny,  famished-looking  black  man, 
entirely  naked,  with  his  hair  matted  and  shaggy,  his 
eyes  wild  and  rolling,  and  bearing  over  his  head  some 
thing  in  the  form  of  an  arch,  elevated  three  feet  above 
his  hair,  beneath  the  top  of  which  were  suspended  the 
bells,  three  in  number,  whose  sound  had  first  attracted 
my  attention.  Upon  a  closer  examination  of  this 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  249 

frightful  figure,  I  perceived  that  it  wore  a  collar  oi 
iron  about  its  neck,  with  a  large  padlock  pendant  from 
behind,  and  carried  in  its  hand  a  long  staff,  with  an 
iron  spear  in  one  end.  The  staff,  like  every  thing  else 
belonging  to  this  strange  spectre,  was  black.  It  slowly 
approached  within  ten  paces  of  me,  and  stool  still. 

The  sun  was  now  down,  and  the  early  twilight  pro 
duced  by  the  gloom  of  the  heavy  forest,  in  the  midst  of 
which  I  was,  added  approaching  darkness  to  heighten 
my  dismay.  My  heart  was  in  my  mouth  ;  all  the 
hairs  of  my  head  started  from  their  sockets  ;  I  seemed 
to  be  rising  from  my  hiding  place  into  the  open  aii 
in  spite  of  myself,  and  I  gasped  for  breath. 

The  black  apparition  moved  past  me,  went  to  the 
water  and  kneeled  down.  The  forest  re-echoed  with 
the  sound  of  the  bells,  and  their  dreadful  peals  filled 
the  deepest  recesses  of  the  swamps,  as  their  bearei 
drank  the  water  of  the  pond,  in  which  I  thought  ? 
heard  his  irons  hiss,  when  they  came  in  contact  with  it 
I  felt  confident  that  I  was  now  in  the  immediate  pre  • 
sence  of  an  inhabitant  of  a  nether  and  fiery  world,  who 
had  been  permitted  to  escape,  for  a  time,  from  the  placo 
of  torment,  and  come  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  his 
former  crimes.  I  now  gave  myself  up  for  lost,  without 
other  aid  than  my  own,  and  began  to  pray  aloud  tc 
heaven  to  protect  me.  At  the  sound  of  my  voice,  the 
supposed  evil  one  appeared  to  be  scarcely  less  alarmed 

11* 


250  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  •  or, 

than  I  was.  He  sprang  to  bis  feet,  and,  at  a  single 
bound,  rushed  middeep  into  the  water,  then  turning, 
he  hesought  me  in  a  suppliant  and  piteous  tone  of 
voice,  to  have  mercy  upon  him,  and  not  carry  him  back 
to  his  master. 

The  suddenness  with  which  we  pass  from  the  ex 
treme  of  one  passion,  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  another, 
is  inconceivable,  and  must  be  assigned  to  the  catalogue 
of  unknown  causes  and  effects,  unless  we  suppose  the 
human  frame  to  be  an  involuntary  machine,  operated 
upon  by  surrounding  objects  which  give  it  different 
and  contrary  impulses,  as  a  ball  is  driven  to  and  fro 
by  the  batons  of  boys,  when  they  play  in  troops  upon 
a  common.  I  had  no  sooner  heard  a  human  voice 
than  all  my  fears  fled,  as  a  spark  that  ascends  from  a 
heap  of  burning  charcoal,  and  vanishes  to  nothing. 

I  at  once  perceived,  that  the  object  that  had  well 
nigh  deprived  me  of  my  reason,  so  far  from  having 
either  the  will  or  the  power  to  injure  me,  was  only  a 
poor  destitute  African  negro,  still  more  wretched  and 
helpless  than  myself. 

Kising  from  the  bushes,  I  now  advanced  to  the  wa 
ter  side,  and  desired  him  to  come  out  without  fear,  and 
to  be  assured  that  if  I  could  render  him  any  assistance, 
[  would  do  it  most  cheerfully.  As  to  carrying  him 
back  to  his  master,  I  was  more  ready  to  ask  help  to 
deliver  me  from  my  own,  than  to  give  aid  to  any  one 
in  forcing  him  back  to  his 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          251 

We  now  went  to  a  place  in  the  forest,  where  the 
ground  was,  for  some  distance,  clear  of  trees,  and 
where  the  light  of  the  sun  was  yet  so  strong,  that 
every  ohject  could  be  seen.  My  new  friend  now  desired 
me  to  look  at  his  back,  which  was  seamed  and  ridged 
with  scars  of  the  whip,  and  the  hickory,  from  the  pole 
of  his  neck  to  the  lower  extremity  of  the  spine.  The 
natural  color  of  the  skin  had  disappeared,  and  was  suc 
ceeded  by  a  streaked  and  speckled  appearance  of  dusky 
white  and  pale  flesh-color,  scarcely  any  of  the  original, 
black  remaining.  The  skin  of  this  man's  back  had 
been  again  and  again  cut  away  by  the  thong,  and  re 
newed  by  the  hand  of  nature,  until  it  was  grown  fast 
to  the  flesh,  and  felt  hard  and  turbid. 

He  told  me  his  name  was  Paul ;  that  he  was  a  na 
tive  of  Congo,  in  Africa,  that  he  had  left  an  aged 
mother,  a  widow,  at  home,  as  also  a  wife  and  four 
children  ;  that  it  had  been  his  misfortune  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  a  master,  who  was  frequently  drunk,  arid 
whose  temper  was  so  savage,  that  his  chief  delight 
appeared  to  consist  in  whipping  and  torturing  his 
slaves,  of  whom  he  owned  near  twenty  ;  but  through 
some  unaccountable  caprice,  he  had  contracted  a  par 
ticular  dislike  against  Paul,  whose  life  he  now  declared 
to  me  was  insupportable.  He  had  then  been  wander 
ing  in  the  woods,  more  than  three  weeks,  with  no  other 
subsistence  than  the  land  tortoises,  frogs,  and  other 


252  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

reptiles  that  lie  had  taken  in  the  woods,  and  along 
the  shores  of  the  ponds,  with  the  aid  of  his  spear.  He 
had  not  been  able  to  take  any  of  the  turtles  in  the 
laying  season,  because  the  noise  of  his  bells  frightened 
them,  and  they  always  escaped  to  the  water  before  he 
could  catch  them.  He  had  found  many  eggs,  which 
he  had  eaten  raw,  having  no  fire,  nor  any  means  of 
making  fire,  to  cook  his  food.  He  had  been  afraid  to 
travel  much  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  lest  the  sound 
of  his  bells  should  be  heard  by  some  one,  who  would 
make  his  master  acquainted  with  the  place  of  his  con 
cealment.  The  only  periods  when  he  ventured  to  go 
in  search  of  food,  were  early  in  the  morning,  before 
people  could  have  time  to  leave  their  homes  and  rearch 
the  swamp :  or  late  in  the  evening,  after  those  who 
were  in  pursuit  of  him  had  gone  to  their  dwellings  for 
the  night. 

This  man  spoke  our  language  imperfectly,  but  pos 
sessed  a  sound  and  vigorous  understanding,  and  rea 
soned  with  me  upon  the  propriety  of  destroying  a  life 
which  was  doomed  to  continual  distress.  He  informed 
me  that  he  had  first  run  away  from  his  master  more 
than  two  years  ago,  after  being  whipped  with  long 
hickory  switches  until  he  fainted.  That  he  concealed 
himself  in  a  swamp,  at  that  time,  ten  or  fifteen  miles 
from  this  place,  for  more  than  six  months,  but  way 
finally  betrayed  by  a  woman  whom  he  sometimes 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  253 

visited  ;  that  when  taken,  he  was  again  whipped  un 
til  he  was  not  able  to  stand,  and  had  a  heavy  block 
of  wood  chained  to  one  foot,  which  he  was  obliged  to 
drag  after  him  at  his  daily  labor,  for  more  than  three ; 
months,  when  he  found  an  old  file,  with  which  he  cut 
the  irons  from  his  ancle,  and  again  escaped  to  the 
woods,  but  was  retaken  within  little  more  than  a  week 
after  his  flight,  by  two  men  who  were  looking  after 
their  cattle,  and  came  upon  him  in  the  woods  where 
he  was  asleep. 

On  being  returned  to  his  master,  he  was  again  whip 
ped,  and  then  the  iron  collar  that  he  now  wore,  with 
the  iron  rod  extending  from  one  shoulder  over  his 
head  to  the  other,  with  the  bells  fastened  at  the  top 
of  the  arch,  were  put  upon  him.  Of  these  irons  he 
could  not  divest  himself,  and  wore  them  constantly 
from  that  time  to  the  present. 

I  had  no  instruments  with  me  to  enable  me  to  re 
lease  Paul  from  his  manacles,  and  all  I  could  do  for 
him  was  to  desire  him  to  go  with  me  to  the  place 
where  I  had  left  my  terrapins,  which  I  gave  to  him, 
together  with  all  the  eggs  that  I  had  found  to-day.  I 
also  caused  him  to  lie  down,  and  having  furnished 
myself  with  a  flint-stone,  (many  of  which  lay  in  the 
sand  near  the  edge  of  the  pond)  and  a  handful  cf  dry 
moss,  I  succeeded  in  striking  fire  from  the  iron  collar, 
and  mad$  a  fire  of  sticks,  upon  which  he  could  roast 


254  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

the  terrapins  and  the  eggs.  It  was  now  quite  dark, 
and  I  was  full  two  miles  from  my  road,  with  no 
path  to  guide  me  towards  home,  but  the  small  traces 
made  in  the  woods  hy  the  cattle. 

I  advised  Paul  to -hear  his  misfortunes  as  well  as  he 
could,  until  the  next  Sunday,  when  I  would  return 
and  bring  with  me  a  file,  and  other  things  necessary 
to  the  removal  of  his  fetters. 

I  now  set  out  alone,  to  make  my  way  home,  not 
without  some  little  feeling  of  trepidation,  as  I  passed 
along  in  the  dark  shade  of  the  pine  trees,  and  thought 
of  the  terrific  deeds  that  had  been  done  in  these  woods. 

This  was  the  period  of  the  full  moon,  which  now 
rose  and  cast  her  brilliant  rays  through  the  tops  of  the 
trees  that  overhung  my  way,  and  enveloped  my  path 
in  a  gloom  more  cheerless  than  the  obscurity  of  total 
darkness.  The  path  I  traveled  led  by  sinuosities 
around  the  margin  of  the  swamp,  and  finally  ended  al 
the  extremity  of  the  cart-road  terminating  at  the  spot 
where  David  and  Hardy  had  been  given  alive  for  food 
to  vultures  ;  and  over  this  ground  I  was  now  obliged 
to  pass,  unless  I  chose  to  turn  far  to  the  left,  through 
the  pathless  forest,  and  make  my  way  to  the  high 
road  near  the  spot  where  the  lady  had  been  torn  from 
her  horse.  I  hated  the  idea  of  acknowledging  to  my 
own  heart,  that  I  was  a  coward,  and  dared  not  look 
upon  the  bones  of  a  murderer  at  midnight  ;  and  there 


The  Life  "f  an  American  Slave.          255 

was  little  less  of  awe  attached  to  the  notion  of  visiting 
the  ground  where  the  ghost  of  the  murdered  woman 
was  reported  to  wander  in  the  moonbeams,  than  in 
visiting  the  scene  where  diabolical  crimes  had  been 
visited  by  fiend-like  punishment. 

My  opinion  is,  that  there  is  no  one  who  is  not  at 
times  subject  to  a  sensation  approaching  fear,  when 
placed  in  situations  similar  to  that  in  which  I  found 
myself  this  night.  I  did  not  believe  that  those  who 
had  passed  the  dark  line,  which  separates  the  living 
from  the  dead,  could  again  return  to  the  earth,  either 
for  good  or  for  evil ;  but  that  solemn  foreboding  of 
the  heart  which  directs  the  minds  of  all  men  to  a  con 
templation  of  the  just  judgment,  which  a  superior,  and 
unknown  power,  holds  in  reservation  for  the  deeds  of 
this  life,  filled  my  soul  with  a  dread  conception  of 
the  unutterable  woes  which  a  righteous  and  unerring 
tribunal  must  award  to  the  blood-stained  spirits  of 
the  two  men  whose  lives  had  been  closed  in  such  un 
speakable  torment  by  the  side  of  the  path  I  was  now 
treading. 

The  moon  had  risen  high  above  the  trees  and  shone 
with  a  clear  and  cloudless  light ;  the  whole  firmament 
of  heaven  was  radiant  with  the  lustre  of  a  mild  and 
balmy  summer  evening.  Save  only  the  droppings  of 
the  early  dew  from  the  lofty  branches  of  the  trees  into 
the  water,  which  lay  in  shallow  pools  on  my  right, 


256  Fifty  Years  in  Chairs ;  or, 

and  the  light  trampling  of  my  own  footsteps,  the  still 
ness  of  night  pervaded  the  lonely  wastes  around  me. 
But  there  is  a  deep  melancholy  in  the  sound  of  the 
heavy  drop  as  it  meets  the  bosom  of  the  wave  in  a 
dense  forest  at  night,  that  revives  in  the  memory  the 
recollection  of  the  days  of  other  years,  and  fills  the 
heart  with  sadness. 

I  was  now  approaching  the  unhallowed  ground 
where  lay  the  remains  of  the  remorseless  and  guilty 
dead,  who  had  gone  to  their  final  account,  reeking  in 
their  sins,  unatoned,  unblest  and  unwept.  Already 
I  saw  the  bones,  whitened  by  the  rain  and  bleached 
in  the  sun,  lying  scattered  and  dispersed,  a  leg  here 
and  an  arm  there,  while  a  scull  with  the  under  jaw  in 
its  place,  retaining  all  its  teeth,  grinned  a  ghastly 
laugh,  with  its  front  full  in  the  beams  of  the  moon, 
which,  falling  into  the  vacant  sockets  of  the  eye-balls, 
reflected  a  pale  shadow  from  these  deserted  caverns, 
and  played  in  twinkling  lustre  upon  the  bald  and 
skinless  forehead. 

In  a  moment,  the  night-breeze  agitated  the  leaves 
of  the  wood  and  moaned  in  dreary  sighs  through  the 
lofty  pine  tops  ;  the  gale  shook  the  forest  in  the  depth 
of  its  solitudes  :  a  cloud  swept  across  the  moon,  and 
her  light  disappeared  ;  a  flock  of  carrion  crows  dis 
turbed  in  their  roosts,  flapped  their  wings  and  flutter 
ed  over  my  head  j  and  a  wolf,  who  had  been  knawing 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  257 

the  dry  bones,  greeted  the  darkness  with  a  long  and 
dismal  howl. 

I  felt  the  blood  chill  in  my  veins,  and  all  my  joints 
shuddered,  as  if  I  had  been  smitten  by  electricity. 
At  least  a  minute  elapsed  before  I  recovered  the  power 
of  self-government.  I  hastened  to  fly  from  a  place 
devoted  to  crime,  where  an  evil  genius  presided  in 
darkness  over  a  fell  assembly  of  howling  wolves,  and 
blood-snuffing  vultures. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  quarter,  all  was  quiet.  The 
inhabitants  of  this  mock-village  were  wrapped  in  for- 
getfulness ;  and  I  stole  silently  into  my  little  loft  and 
joined  my  neighbors  in  their  repose.  Experience  had 
made  me  so  well  acquainted  with  the  dangers  that 
beset  the  life  of  a  slave,  that  I  determined,  as  a  mat 
ter  of  prudence,  to  say  nothing  to  any  one  of  the  ad 
ventures  of  this  Sunday,  but  went  to  work  on  Monday 
morning,  at  the  summons  of  the  overseer's  horn,  as  if 
nothing  unusual  had  occurred.  In  the  course  of  the 
week  I  often  thought  of  the  forlorn  and  desponding 
African,  who  had  so  terrified  me  in  the  woods,  and 
who  seemed  so  grateful  for  the  succor  I  gave  him.  I 
felt  anxious  to  become  better  acquainted  with  this 
man,  who  possessed  knowledge  superior  to  the  com 
mon  race  of  slaves,  and  manifested  a  moral  courage  in 
the  conversation  that  I  had  with  Lim,  worthy  of  a 
better  fate  than  that  to  which  fortune  had  consigned 


258  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

him.  On  the  following  Sunday,  having  provided  my 
self  with  a  large  file,  which  I  procured  from  the  black 
smith's  shop,  belonging  to  the  plantation,  I  again  re 
paired  to  the  place,  at  the  side  of  the  swamp,  where 
I  had  first  seen  the  figure  of  this  ill-fated  man.  I  ex 
pected  that  he  would  be  in  waiting  for  me  at  the  ap 
pointed  place,  as  I  had  promised  him  that  I  would 
certainly  come  again,  at  this  time  :  but  on  arriving 
at  the  spot  where  I  had  left  him,  I  saw  no  sign  of  any 
person.  The  remains  of  the  fire  I  had  kindled  were 
here,  and  it  seemed  that  the  fire  had  been  kept  up  for 
several  days,  by  the  quantity  of  ashes  that  lay  in  a 
heap,  surrounded  by  numerous  small  brands.  The 
impressions  of  human  feet  were  thickly  disposed  around 
this  decayed  fire  :  and  the  bones  of  the  terrapins  that 
I  had  given  to  Paul,  as  well  as  the  skeletons  of  many 
frogs,  were  scattered  upon  the  ground,  but  there  was 
nothing  that  showed  that  any  one  had  visited  this 
spot,  since  the  fall  of  the  last  rain,  which  I  now  recol 
lected  had  taken  place  on  the  previous  Thursday. 
From  this  circumstance  I  concluded,  that  Paul  had 
relieved  himself  of  his  irons  and  gone  to  seek  conceal 
ment  in  some  other  place,  or  that  his  master  had 
discovered  his  retreat  and  carried  him  back  to  the 
plantation. 

Whilst  standing  at  the  ashes  I  heard  the  croaking 
of  ravens  at  some  distance  in  the  woods,  and  inimedi- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          259 

diately  afterwards  a  turkey-buzzard  passed  over  me 
pursued  by  an  eagle,  coming  from  the  quarter  in  which 
I  had  just  heard  the  ravens.  I  knew  that  the  eagle 
never  pursued  the  buzzard  for  the  purpose  of  preying 
upon  him,  but  only  to  compel  him  to  disgorge  himself 
of  his  own  prey  for  the  benefit  of  the  king  of  birds.  I 
therefore  concluded  that  there  was  some  dead  animal 
in  my  neighborhood  that  had  called  all  these  ravenous 
fowls  together.  It  might  be  that  Paul  had  killed  a 
cow  by  knocking  her  down  with  a  pine  knot,  and  that 
he  had  removed  his  residence  to  this  slaughtered  ani 
mal.  Curiosity  was  aroused  in  me,  and  I  proceeded 
to  examine  the  woods. 

I  had  not  advanced  more  than  two  hundred  yards 
when  I  felt  oppressed  by  a  most  sickening  stench,  and 
saw  the  trees  swarming  with  birds  of  prey,  buzzards 
perched  upon  their  branches,  ravens  sailing  amongst 
their  boughs,  and  clouds  of  carrion  crows  flitting  about, 
and  poising  themselves  in  the  air  in  a  stationary  posi 
tion,  after  the  manner  of  that  most  nauseous  of  all 
birds,  when  it  perceives,  or  thinks  it  perceives,  some 
object  of  prey.  Proceeding  onward,  I  came  in  view  of 
a  large  sassafras  tree,  around  the  top  of  which  was 
congregated  a  cloud  of  crows,  some  on  the  boughs  and 
others  on  the  wing,  whilst  numerous  buzzards  were 
sailing  low  and  nearly  skimming  the  ground.  This 
sassafras  tree  had  many  low  horizontal  branches,  at- 


260  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

tached  to  one  of  which  I  now  saw  the  cause  of  so  vast 
an  assembly  of  the  obscene  fowls  of  the  air.  The  life 
less  and  putrid  body  of  the  unhappy  Paul  hung  sus 
pended  by  a  cord  made  of  twisted  hickory  bark,  passed 
in  the  form  of  a  halter  round  the  neck,  and  firmly 
bound  to  a  limb  of  the  tree. 

It  was  manifest  that  he  had  climbed  the  tree,  fast 
ened  the  cord  to  the  branch,  and  then  sprung  off. — 
The  smell  that  assailed  my  nostrils  was  too  overwhelm 
ing  to  permit  me  to  remain  long  in  view  of  the  dead 
body,  which  was  much  mangled  and  torn,  though  its 
identity  was  beyond  question,  for  the  iron  collar,  and 
the  bells  with  the  arch  that  bore  them,  were  still  in 
their  place.  The  bells  had  preserved  the  corpse  from 
being  devoured  ;  for  whilst  I  looked  at  it  I  observed  a 
crow  descend  upon  it,  and  make  a  stroke  at  the  face 
with  its  beak,  but  the  motion  that  this  gave  to  the 
bells  caused  them  to  rattle,  and  the  bird  took  to  flight. 

Seeing  that  I  could  no  longer  render  assistance  to 
Paul,  who  was  now  beyond  the  reach  of  his  master's 
tyranny,  as  well  as  of  my  pity,  I  returned  without  de 
lay  to  my  master's  house,  and  going  into  the  kitchen, 
related  to  the  household  servants  that  I  had  found  a 
black  man  hung  in  the  woods  with  bells  upon  him. — - 
This  intelligence  was  soon  communicated  to  my  mas 
ter,  who  sent  for  me  to  come  into  the  house  to  relate 
the  circumstance  to  him.  I  was  careful  not  to  tell 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  261 

that  I  had  seen  Paul  before  his  death  ;  and  when  I 
had  finished  my  narrative,  my  master  observed  to  a 
gentleman  who  was  with  him,  that  this  was  a  heavy 
loss  to  the  owner,  and  told  me  to  go. 

The  body  of  Paul  was  never  taken  down,  but  re 
mained  hanging  where  I  had  seen  it  until  the  flesh 
fell  from  the  bones,  or  was  torn  off  by  the  birds.  I 
saw  the  bones  hanging  in  the  sassafras  tree  more  than 
two  months  afterwards,  and  the  last  time  that  1  was 
ever  in  these  swamps. 


262  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

AN  affair  was  now  in  progress,  which,  though  the 
persons  who  were  actors  in  it  were  far  removed  from 
me,  had  in  its  effects  a  great  influence  upon  the  for 
tunes  of  my  life.  I  have  informed  the  reader  that  my 
master  had  three  daughters,  and  that  the  second  of 
the  sisters  was  deemed  a  great  beauty.  The  eldest  of 
the  three  was  married  ahout  the  time  of  which  I  now 
write,  to  a  planter  of  great  wealth,  who  resided  near 
Columbia  ;  but  the  second  had  formed  an  attachment 
to  a  young  gentleman  whom  she  had  frequently  seen 
at  the  church  attended  by  my  master's  family  As  this 
young  man,  either  from  want  of  wealth,  or  proper  per 
sons  to  introduce  him,  had  never  been  at  my  master's 
house,  my  young  mistress  had  no  opportunity  of  com 
municating  to  him  the  sentiments  she  entertained  to 
wards  him,  without  violating  the  rules  of  modesty  in 
which  she  had  been  educated.  Before  she  would  at 
tempt  any  thing  which  might  be  deemed  a  violation 
of  the  decorum  of  her  sex,  she  determined  to  take  a 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          263 

new  method  of  obtaining  a  husband.  She  communi 
cated  to  her  father,  my  master,  a  knowledge  of  the 
whole  affair,  with  a  desire  that  he  would  invite  the 
gentleman  of  her  choice  to  his  house.  This  the  father 
resolutely  opposed,  upon  the  ground  that  the  young 
man  upon  whom  his  daughter  had  fixed  her  heart  was 
without  property,  and  consequently  destitute  of  the 
means  of  supporting  his  daughter  in  a  style  suitable 
to  the  rank  she  occupied  in  society.  A  woman  in  love 
Is  not  easily  foiled  in  her  purposes ;  my  young  mis 
tress,  by  continual  entreaties,  so  far  prevailed  over  the 
affections,  or  more  probably  the  fears  of  her  father, 
that  he  introduced  the  young  man  to  his  family,  and 
about  two  months  afterwards  my  young  mistress  was 
a  bride  ;  but  it  had  been  agreed  amongst  all  the  par 
ties,  as  I  understood,  before  the  marriage,  that  as  the 
son-in-law  had  no  land  or  slaves  of  his  own,  he  should 
remove  with  his  wife  to  a  large  tract  of  land  that 
my  master  owned  in  the  new  purchase  in  the  State  of 
Georgia. 

In  the  month  of  September,  my  master  came  to  the 
quarter  one  evening,  at  the  time  of  our  return  from 
the  field,  in  company  with  his  son-in-law,  and  in 
formed  me  that  he  had  given  me,  with  a  number  of 
others  of  his  slaves,  to  his  daughter  :  and  that  I,  with 
eight  other  men  and  two  or  three  women,  must  set 
out  on  the  next  Sunday  with  my  new  master,  for  his 


264  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

estate  in  Georgia,  whither  we  were  to  go,  to  clear  land, 
build  houses,  and  make  other  improvements,  necessary 
for  the  reception  of  the  newly  married  lady,  in  the  fol 
lowing  spring. 

I  was  much  pleased  with  the  appearance  and  man 
ners  of  my  new  master,  who  was  a  young  man  appa 
rently  about  twenty-seven  or  eight  years  old,  and  of 
good  figure.  We  were  to  take  with  us,  in  our  expedi 
tion  to  Georgia,  a  wagon,  to  be  drawn  by  six  mules, 
and  I  was  appointed  to  drive  the  team.  Before  we 
set  off  my  young  mistress  came  in  person  to  the  quar 
ter,  and  told  us  that  all  those  who  were  going  to  the 
new  settlement  must  come  to  the  house,  where  she 
furnished  each  of  us  with  two  full  suits  of  clothes,  one 
of  coarse  woollen,  and  the  other  of  hempen  cloth.  She 
also  gave  a  hat  to  each  of  us,  and  two  pairs  of  shoes, 
with  a  trifle  in  money,  and  enjoined  us  to  be  good  boys 
and  girls,  and  get  things  ready  for  her,  and  that  when 
she  should  come  to  live  with  us  we  should  not  be  for 
gotten.  The  conduct  of  this  young  lady  was  so  differ 
ent  from  that  which  I  had  been  accustomed  to  witness 
since  I  came  to  Carolina,  that  I  considered  myself 
highly  fortunate  in  becoming  her  slave,  and  now  con 
gratulated  myself  with  the  idea  that  I  should,  in  fu 
ture,  have  a  mistress  who  would  treat  me  kindly,  and 
if  I  behaved  well,  would  not  permit  me  to  want. 

At  the  time  appointed  we  set  out  for  Georgia,  with 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          265 

all  the  tools  and  implements  necessary  to  the  prosecu 
tion  of  a  new  settlement.  My  young  master  accom 
panied  us,  and  traveled  slowly  for  several  days  to  en 
able  me  to  keep  up  with  him.  We  continued  our 
march  in  this  order  until  we  reached  the  Savannah 
river  at  the  town  of  Augusta,  where  my  master  told 
me  that  he  was  so  well  satisfied  with  my  conduct,  that 
he  intended  to  leave  me  with  the  team  to  bring  on 
the  goods  and  the  women  and  children  ;  but  that  he 
would  take  the  men  and  push  on  as  fast  as  possible, 
to  the  new  settlement,  and  go  to  work  until  the  time 
of  ray  arrival.  He  gave  me  directions  to  follow  on 
and  inquire  for  Morgan  county  Court  House,  and  said 
that  he  would  have  a  person  ready  there  on  my  arrival 
to  guide  me  to  him  and  the  people  with  him.  He 
then  gave  me  twenty  dollars  to  buy  food  for  the  mules 
and  provisions  for  myself  and  those  with  me,  and  left 
me  on  the  high  road  master  of  myself  and  the  team. 
I  was  resolved  that  this  striking  proof  of  confidence  on 
the  part  of  my  master  should  not  be  a  subject  of  re 
gret  to  him,  and  pursued  my  route  with  the  greatest 
diligence,  taking  care  to  lay  out  as  little  money  as 
possible  for  such  things  as  I  had  to  buy.  On  the  sixth 
day,  in  the  morning,  I  arrived  at  our  new  settlement 
in  the  middle  of  a  heavy  forest  of  such  timber  as  is 
common  to  that  country,  with  three  dollars  and  twenty- 
five  cents  in  my  pocket,  part  of  the  money  given  to 

12 


266  Fifty  Years   'n  Chains  ;  or, 


me  at  Augusta.  This  I  offered  to  return,  lut  my 
master  refused  to  take  it,  and  told  me  to  keep  it  for 
my  good  conduct.  I  now  felt  assured  that  all  my 
troubles  in  this  world  were  ended,  and  that,  in  future, 
I  might  look  forward  to  a  life  of  happiness  and  ease, 
for  I  did  not  consider  labor  any  hardship,  if  I  was  well 
provided  with  good  food  and  clothes,  and  my  other 
wants  properly  regarded. 

My  master  and  the  people  who  were  with  him  had, 
before  our  arrival  with  the  wagon,  put  up  the  logs  of 
two  cabins,  and  were  engaged,  when  we  came,  in  cov 
ering  one  of  them  with  clapboards.  In  the  course  of 
the  next  day  we  completed  both  these  cabins,  with 
puncheon  floors  and  small  glass  windows,  the  sash  and 
glass  for  which  I  had  brought  in  the  wagon.  We  put 
up  two  other  cabins,  and  a  stable  for  the  mules,  and 
then  began  to  clear  land.  After  a  few  days  my  master 
told  me  he  meant  to  go  down  into  the  settlements  to 
buy  provisions  for  the  winter,  and  that  he  should 
leave  me  to  oversee  the  hands,  and  carry  on  the  work 
in  his  absence..  He  accordingly  left  us,  taking  with 
him  the  wagon  and  two  boys,  one  to  drive  the  team, 
and  another  to  drive  cattle  and  hogs,  which  he  intend 
ed  to  buy  and  drive  to  our  settlement.  I  now  felt 
myself  almost  proprietor  of  our  new  establishment, 
and  believe  the  men  left  under  my  charge  did  not 
consider  me  a  very  lenient  overseer.  I  in  truth  com- 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          267 

pelled  them  to  work  very  hard,  as  I  did  myself.  At 
the  end  of  a  week  my  master  returned  with  a  heavy 
load  of  meal  and  bacon,  with  salt  and  other  things 
that  we  needed,  and  the  day  following  a  white  man 
drove  to  our  station  several  cows  and  more  than  twenty 
hogs,  the  greater  part  of  which  were  breeders.  At 
this  season  of  the'  year  neither  the  hogs  nor  the  cattle 
required  any  feeding  at  our  hands.  The  woods  were 
full  of  nuts,  and  the  grass  was  abundant ;  but  we 
gave  salt  to  our  stock,  and  kept  the  hogs  in  a  pen  two 
or  three  days,  to  accustom  them  to  the  place. 

"We  now  lived  very  differently  from  what  we  did  on 
my  old  master's  plantation.  We  had  as  much  bacon 
every  day  as  we  could  eat,  which,  together  with  bread 
and  sweet  pototoes,  which  we  had  at  will,  constituted 
our  fare.  My  master  remained  with  us  more  than 
two  months  ;  within  which  time  we  had  cleared  forty 
acres  of  ground,  ready  for  the  plough ;  but,  a  few  days 
before  Christmas,  an  event  took  place,  which,  in  its 
v^onsequences,  destroyed  all  my  prospects  of  happiness, 
and  totally  changed  the  future  path  of  my  life.  A 
messenger  one  day  came  to  our  settlement  with  a  let 
ter,  which  had  been  forwarded  in  this  manner,  by  the 
postmaster  at  the  Court  House,  where  the  post-office 
was  kept.  This  letter  contained  intelligence  of  the 
sudden  death  of  my  old  master,  and  that  difficulties 
had  arisen  in  the  family  which  required  the  immediate 


268  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

attention  of  my  young  one.  The  letter  was  written 
by  my  mistress.  My  master  forthwith  took  an  ac 
count  of  the  stock  of  provisions  and  other  things  that 
he  had  on  hand,  and  putting  the  whole  under  my 
charge,  gave  me  directions  to  attend  to  the  work,  and 
set  off  on  horseback  that  evening  ;  promising  to  return 
within  one  month  at  furthest.  We  never  saw  him 
again,  and  heard  nothing  of  him  until  late  in  the 
month  of  January,  when  the  eldest  son  of  my  late 
master  came  to  our  settlement  in  company  with  a 
strange  gentleman.  The  son  of  my  late  master  in 
formed  me,  to  my  surprise  and  sorrow,  that  my  young 
master,  who  had  brought  us  to  Georgia,  was  dead  ; 
and  that  he  and  the  gentleman  with  him,  were  ad 
ministrators  of  the  deceased,  and  had  come  to  Georgia 
for  the  purpose  of  letting  out  on  lease,  for  the  period 
of  seven  years,  our  place,  with  all  the  people  on  it, 
including  me. 

To  me,  the  most  distressing  part  of  this  news  was 
the  death  of  my  young  master,  and  I  was  still  more  sor 
ry  when  I  learned  that  he  had  been  killed  in  a  duel. 
My  young  mistress,  whose  beauty  had  drawn  around 
her  numerous  suitors,  many  of  whom  were  men  of 
base  minds  and  cowardly  hearts,  had  chosen  her  hus 
band,  in  the  manner  I  have  related,  and  his  former 
rivals,  after  his  return  from  Georgia,  confederated  to 
gether,  for  the  dastardly  purpose  of  revenging  them- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          269 

selves,  of  both  husband  and  wife,  by  the  murder  of 
the  former. 

In  all  parts  of  the  cotton  country  there  are  numer 
ous  taverns,  which  answer  the  double  purpose  of  drink 
ing  and  gambling  houses.  These  places  are  kept  by 
men  who  are  willing  to  abandon  all  pretensions  to  the 
character  and  standing  of  gentlemen,  for  the  hope  of 
sordid  gain,  and  are  frequented  by  all  classes  of  plant 
ers,  though  it  is  not  to  be  understood  that  all  the 
planters  resort  to  these  houses.  There  are  men  of 
high  and  honorable  virtue  among  the  planters,  who 
equally  detest  the  mean  cupidity  of  the  men  who  keep 
these  houses,  and  the  silly  wickedness  of  those  who 
support  them.  Billiards  is  the  game  regarded  as  the 
most  polite  amongst  men  of  education  and  fashion ; 
but  cards,  dice  and  every  kind  of  game,  whether  of 
skill  or  of  hazard,  are  openly  played  in  these  sinks  of 
iniquity.  So  far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  there  is 
not  a  single  district  of  ten  miles  square,  in  all  the 
cotton  region,  without  at  least  one  of  these  vile  ordi 
naries,  as  they  are  frequently  and  justly  termed.  The 
keeping  of  these  houses  is  a  means  of  subsistence  re 
sorted  to  by  men  of  desperate  reputation,  or  reckless 
character,  and  they  invite  as  guests  all  the  profligate, 
the  drunken,  the  idle,  and  the  unwary  cf  the  surround 
ing  country.  In  a  community  where  the  white  man 
never  works,  except  at  the  expense  of  forfeiting  all 


270  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

claim  to  the  rank  of  a  gentleman,  and  where  it  is  be 
neath  the  dignity  of  a  man  to  oversee  the  labor  of  his 
own  plantation,  the  number  of  those  who  frequent 
these  gaming  houses  may  be  imagined. 

My  young  master,  fortunately  for  his  own  honoi, 
was  of  those  who  kept  aloof  from  the  precincts  of  the 
tavern,  unless  compelled  by  necessary  business  to  go 
there  ;  but  the  band  of  conspirators,  who  had  resolved 
on  his  destruction,  invited  him  through  one  of  their 
number,  who  pretended  to  wish  to  treat  with  him  con 
cerning  his  property,  to  meet  them  at  an  ordinary  one 
evening.  '  Here  a  quarrel  was  sought  with  him,  and 
he  was  challenged  to  fight  with  pistols,  over  the  table 
around  which  they  sat. 

My  master,  who,  it  appears,  was  unable  to  bear  the 
reproach  of  cowardice>  even  amongst  fools,  agreed  to 
fight,  and  as  he  had  no  pistols  with  him,  was  present 
ed  with  a  pair  belonging  to  one  of  the  gang  ;  and 
accepted  their  owner,  as  his  friend,  or  second  in  the 
business.  The  result  was  as  might  have  been  ex 
pected.  My  master  was  killed  at  the  first  fire,  by  a 
ball  which  passed  through  his  breast,  whilst  his  an 
tagonist  escaped  unharmed. 

A  servant  was  immediately  despatched  with  a  letter 
to  my  mistress,  infoiming  her  of  the  death  of  her  hus 
band.  She  was  awakened  in  the  night  to  read  the 
letter,  the  bearer  having  informed  her  maid  that  it 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          271 

was  necessary  for  her  to  see  it  immediately.  The 
shock  drove  her  into  a  feverish  delirium,  from  which 
she  never  recovered  At  periods,  her  reason  resumed 
its  dominion,  but  in  the  summer  following,  she  became 
a  mother,  and  died  in  child-bed,  of  puerperal  fever. 
I  obtained  this  account  from  the  mouth  of  a  black 
man,  who  was  the  traveling  servant  of  the  eldest  son 
of  my  old  master,  and  who  was  with  his  master  at  the 
time  he  came  to  visit  the  tenant,  to  whom  he  let  his 
sister's  estate  in  Georgia. 

The  estate  to  which  I  was  now  attached,  was  ad 
vertised  to  be  rented  for  the  term  of  seven  years,  with 
all  the  stock  of  mules,  cattle,  and  so  forth,  upon  it — 
together  with  seventeen  slaves,  six  of  whom  were  too 
young  to  be  able  to  work  at  present.  The  price  asked, 
was  one  thousand  dollars  for  the  first  year,  and  two 
thousand  dollars  for  each  of  the  six  succeeding  years  ; 
the  tenant  to  be  bound  to  clear  thirty  acres  of  land 
annually. 

Before  the  day  on  which  the  estate  was  to  be  let, 
by  the  terms  of  the  advertisement,  a  man  came  up 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Savannah,  and  agreed  to 
take  the  new  plantation,  on  the  terms  asked.  He  was 
immediately  put  into  possession  of  the  premises,  and 
from  this  moment,  I  became  his  slave  for  the  term  of 
seven  years. 

Fortiinu  had  now  thrown  me  into  the  power  of  a  new 


272  Fifty  Years  in  Chains ;  or, 

master,  of  whom,  when  I  considered  the  part  of  the 
country  from  whence  he  came,  which  had  always  been 
represented  to  me  as  distinguished  for  the  cruelty  with 
which  slaves  were  treated  in  it,  I  had  no  reason  to 
expect  much  that  was  good.  I  had  indeed,  from  the 
moment  I  saw  this  new  master,  and  had  learned  the 
place  of  his  former  residence,  made  up  my  mind  to 
prepare  myself  for  a  harsh  servitude  ;  but  as  we  are 
often  disappointed  for  the  worse,  so  it  sometimes  hap 
pens,  that  we  are  deceived  for  the  better.  This  man 
was  by  no  means  so  bad  as  I  was  prepared  to  find  him  ; 
and  yet,  I  experienced  all  the  evils  in  his  service,  that 
I  had  ever  apprehended ;  but  I  could  never  find  in 
ray  heart  to  entertain  a  revengeful  feeling  towards  him, 
for  he  was  as  much  a  slave  as  I  was  ;  and  I  believe  of 
the  two,  the  greater  sufferer.  Perhaps  the  evils  he 
endured  himself,  made  him  more  compassionate  of  the 
sorrows  of  others  ;  but  notwithstanding  the  injustice 
that  was  done  me  while  with  him,  I  could  never  look 
upon  him  as  a  bad  man. 

At  the  time  he  took  possession  of  the  estate,  he  was 
alone,  and  did  not  let  us  know  that  he  had  a  wife,  until 
after  he  had  been  with  us  at  least  two  weeks.  One 
day,  however,  he  called  us  together,  and  told  us  that 
he  was  going  down  the  country,  to  bring  up  his  fam 
ily — that  he  wished  us  to  go  on  with  the  work  on  the 
place  in  the  manner  he  pointed  out  •  and  telling  the- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          273 

rest  of  the  hands  that  they  must  obey  my  orders,  he 
left  us.  He  was  gone  full  two  weeks  ;  and  when  he 
returned,  I  had  all  the  cleared  land  planted  in  cotton, 
corn,  and  sweet  potatoes,  and  had  progressed  with  the 
business  of  the  plantation  so  much  to  his  satisfaction, 
that  he  gave  me  a  dollar,  with  which  I  bought  a  pair 
of  new  trowsers — my  old  ones  having  been  worn  out  in 
clearing  the  new  land,  and  burning  logs. 

My  master's  family,  a  wife  and  one  child,  came  with 
him  ;  and  my  new  mistress  soon  caused  me  to  regret 
the  death  of  my  former  young  master,  for  other  rea 
sons  than  those  of  affection  and  esteem. 

This  woman  (though  she  was  my  mistress,  I  cannot 
call  her  lady,)  was  the  daughter  of  a  very  wealthy 
planter,  who  resided  near  Milledgeville,  and  had  sev 
eral  children  besides  my  mistress.  My  master  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina — had  removed  to  Georgia 
several  years  before  this — had  acquired  some  property, 
and  was  married  to  my  mistress  more  than  two  years, 
when  I  became  his  slave  for  a  term  of  years,  as  I  have 
stated.  I  saw  many  families,  and  was  acquainted  with 
the  moral  character  of  many  ladies  while  I  lived  in  the 
South  ;  but  I  must,  in  justice  to  the  country,  say  that 
my  new  mistress  was  the  worst  woman  I  ever  saw 
amongst  the  southern  people.  Her  temper  was  as  bad 
as  that  of  a  speckled  viper ;  and  her  language,  when 
she  was  enraged,  was  a  mere  vocabulary  of  profanity  and 
virulence.  12* 


274  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ,    or, 

My  master  and  mistress  brought  with  them  when 
they  came  twelve  slaves,  great  and  small,  seven  of 
whom  were  able  to  do  field  work.  We  now  had  on 
our  new  place  a  very  respectable  force  ;  and  my  mas 
ter  was  a  man  who  understood  the  means  of  procuring 
a  good  day's  work  from  his  hands,  as  well  as  any  of  his 
neighbors.  He  was  also  a  man  who,  when  left  to  pur 
sue  his  own  inclinations,  was  kind  and  humane  in  his 
temper  and  conduct  towards  his  people  ;  and  if  he  had 
possessed  courage  enough  to  whip  his  wife  two  or  three 
times,  as  he  sometimes  whipped  his  slaves,  and  to  com 
pel  her  to  observe  a  rule  of  conduct  befitting  her  sex, 
I  should  have  had  a  tolerable  time  of  my  servitude 
with  him  ;  and  should,  in  all  probability,  have  been  a 
slave  in  Georgia  until  this  day.  Before  my  mistress 
came,  we  had  meat  in  abundance,  for  my  master  had 
left  his  keys  with  me,  and  I  dealt  out  the  provisions 
to  the  people. 

Lest  my  master  should  complain  of  me  at  his  return, 
or  suspect  that  I  had  not  been  faithful  to  my  trust,  I 
had  only  allowed  ourselves  (for  I  fared  in  common 
with  the  others)  one  meal  of  meat  in  each  day.  We 
had  several  cows  that  supplied  us  with  milk,  and  a 
barrel  of  molasses  was  among  the  stores  of  provisions. 
We  had  mush,  sweet  potatoes,  milk,  molasses,  and 
sometimes  ^butter  for  breakfast  and  supper,  and  meat 
for  dinner.  Had  we  been  permitted  to  enjoy  this  fine 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  275 

fare  after  the  arrival  of  our  mistress,  and  had  she  been 
a  woman  of  kindly  disposition  and  lady-like  manners, 
I  should  have  considered  myself  weL  off  in  the  world ; 
for  I  was  now  living  in  as  good  a  country  as  I  ever  saw, 
and  I  much  doubt  if  there  is  a  better  one  any  where. 

Our  mistress  gave  us  a  specimen  of  her  character  on 
the  first  morning  after  her  arrival  amongst  us,  by  beat 
ing  severely,  with  a  raw  cow-hide,  the  black  girl  who 
nursed  the  infant,  because  the  child  cried,  and  could 
not  be  kept  silent.  I  perceived  by  this  that  my  mis 
tress  possessed  no  control  over  her  passions  ;  and  that 
when  enraged  she  would  find  some  victim  to  pour  her 
fury  upon,  without  regard  to  justice  or  mercy. 

When  we  were  called  to  dinner  to-day,  we  had  no 
meat,  and  a  very  short  supply  of  bread  ;  our  meal  be 
ing  composed  of  badly  cooked  sweet  potatoes,  some 
bread,  and  a  very  small  quantity  of  sour  milk.  From 
this  time  our  allowance  of  meat  was  withdrawn  from 
us  altogether,  and  we  had  to  live  upon  our  bread,  po 
tatoes,  and  the  little  milk  that  our  mistress  permitted 
us  to  have.  The  most  vexatious  part  of  the  new  dis 
cipline  was  the  distinction  that  was  made  between  us, 
who  were  on  the  plantation  before  our  mistress  came 
to  it,  and  the  slaves  that  she  brought  with  her.  To 
these  latter,  she  gave  the  best  part  of  the  sour  milk, 
all  the  buttermilk,  and  I  believe  frequently  rations  of 
meat. 


276  Fifty  Years  in  Chains',  or, 

We  were  not  on  our  part  (I  mean  us  of  the  old 
stock)  wholly  without  meat,  for  our  master  sometimes 
gave  us  a  whole  flitch  of  bacon  at  once  ;  this  he  had 
stolen  from  his  own  smoke-house — I  say  stolen,  because 
he  took  it  without  the  knowledge  of  my  mistress,  and 
always  charged  us  in  the  most  solemn  manner  not  to 
let  her  know  that  we  had  received  it.  She  was  as  neg 
ligent  of  the  duties  of  a  good  housewife,  as  she  was 
arrogant  in  assuming  the  control  of  things  not  within 
the  sphere  of  her  domestic  duties,  and  never  missed 
the  bacon  that  our  master  gave  to  us,  because  she  had 
not  taken  the  trouble  of  examining  the  state  of  the 
meat-house.  Obtaining  all  the  meat  we  ate  by  stealth, 
through  our  master,  our  supplies  were  not  regular, 
coming  once  or  twice  a  week,  according  to  circum 
stances.  However,  as  I  was  satisfied  of  the  good  in- 
,  tentions  of  my  master  towards  me,  I  felt  interested  in 
his  welfare,  and  in  a  short  time  became  warmly  attach 
ed  to  him.  He  fared  but  little  better  at  the  hands  of 
my  mistress  than  I  did,  except  as  he  ate  at  the  same 
table  with  her,  he  always  had  enough  of  comfortable 
food  ;  but  in  the  matter  of  ill  language,  I  believe  my 
master  and  I  might  safely  have  put  our  goods  together 
as  a  joint  stock  in  trade,  without  either  the  one  or  the 
other  being  greatly  the  loser.  I  had  secured  the  good 
opinion  of  my  master,  and  it  was  perceivable  by  any 
one  that  he  had  more  confidence  in  me  than  in  any  o' 


The  Life  of  an  American  Sit  '.<e.          277 

his  other  slaves,  and  often  treated  me  a  >  the  foreman 
of  his  people. 

This  aroused  the  indignation  of  my  mistress,  who, 
with  all  her  ill  qualities,  retained  a  sort  of  elfish  esteem 
for  the  slaves  who  had  come  with  herfrcm  her  father's 
estate.  She  seldom  saw  me  without  (jiving  me  her 
customary  salutation  of  profanity ;  and  she  exceeded 
all  other  persons  that  I  have  ever  known  in  the  quick 
ness  and  sarcasm  of  the  jibes  and  jeers  with  which  she 
seasoned  her  oaths.  To  form  any  fair  conception  of 
her  volubility  and  scurrilous  wit,  it  was  necessary  to 
hear  her,  more  especially  on  Sunday  morning  or  a 
rainy  day,  when  the  people  were  all  loitering  about 
the  kitchens,  which  stood  close  round  her  dwelling. 
She  treated  my  master  with  no  more  ceremony  than 
she  did  me.  Misery  loves  company,  it  is  said,  and  I 
verily  believe  that  my  master  and  I  felt  a  mutual  at 
tachment  on  account  of  our  mutual  sufferings. 


278  Fifty   Years  in  CJiains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  country  I  now  lived  in  was  new,  and  abounded 
frith  every  sort  of  game  common  to  a  new  settlement. 
Wages  were  high,  and  I  could  sometimes  earn  a  dollar 
and  a  half  a  day  by  doing  job  work  on  Sunday.  The 
price  of  a  day's  work  here  was  a  dollar.  My  master 
paid  me  regularly  and  fairly  for  all  the  work  I  did  for 
him  on  Sunday,  and  I  never  went  anywhere  else  to 
procure  work.  All  his  other  hands  were  treated  in  the 
same  way.  He  also  gave  me  an  old  gun  that  had 
seen  much  hard  service,  for  the  stock  was  quite  shat 
tered  to  pieces,  and  the  lock  would  not  strike  fire.  I 
took  my  gun  to  a  blacksmith  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
he  repaired  the  lock,  so  that  my  musket  was  as  sure 
fire  as  any  piece  need  be.  I  found  upon  trial  that 
though  the  stock  and  lock  had  been  worn  out,  the 
barrel  was  none  the  worse  for  the  service  it  had  under 
gone. 

I  now,  for  the  first  time  ir  my  life,  became  a  hunter, 
in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word  ;  and  generally  mana- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          279 

ged  my  affairs  in  such  a  way  as  to  get  the  half  of 
Saturday  to  myself.  This  I  did  by  prevailing  on  my 
master  to  set  my  task  for  the  week  on  Monday  morn 
ing. 

Saturday  was  appropriated  to  hunting,  if  I  was  not 
obliged  to  work  all  day,  and  I  soon  became  pretty  ex 
pert  in  the  use  Df  my  gun.  I  made  salt  licks  in  the 
woods,  to  which  the  deer  came  at  night,  and  I  shot 
them  from  a  seat  of  clapboards  that  was  placed  on  the 
branches  of  a  tree.  Kaccoons  abounded  here,  and 
*  were  of  a  large  size,  and  fat  at  all  seasons.  In  the 
month  of  April  I  saw  the  ground  thickly  strewed  with 
nuts,  the  growth  of  the  last  year.  I  now  began  to 
live  well,  notwithstanding  the  persecution  that  my 
mistress  still  directed  against  me,  and  to  feel  myself, 
in  some  measure,  an  independent  man. 

The  temper  of  my  mistress  grew  worse  daily,  and  to 
add  to  my  troubles,  the  health  of  my  master  began  to 
decline,  and  towards  the  latter  part  of  autumn  he  told 
me  that  already  he  felt  the  symptoms  of  approaching 
death.  .  ". 

This  was  a  source  of  much  anxiety  and  trouble  to 
me,  for  I  saw  clearly,  if  I  ever  fell  under  the  unbridled 
dominion  of  my  mistress,  I  should  regret  the  worst 
period  of  my  servitude  in  South  Carolina.  I  was 
afraid  as  winter  came  on  that  my  master  might  grow 
worse  and  pass  away  in  the  spring — for  his  disease  was 
the  consumption  of  the  lungs. 


280  Fifty   Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

We  passed  this  winter  in  clearing  land,  after  we  had 
secured  the  crops  of  cotton  and  corn,  and  nothing  hap 
pened  on  our  plantation  to  disturb  the  usual  monotony 
of  the  life  of  a  slave,  except  that  in  the  month  of 
January,  my  master  informed  me  that  he  intended  to 
go  to  Savannah  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  groceries, 
and  such  other  supplies  as  might  be  required  on  the 
plantation,  in  the  following  season  ;  and  that  he  in 
tended  to  take  down  a  load  of  cotton  with  our  wagon 
and  team,  and  that  I  must  prepare  to  be  the  driver. 
This  intelligence  was  not  disagreeable  to  me,  as  the^ 
trip  to  Savannah  would,  in  the  first  place,  release  me 
for  a  short  time  from  the  tyranny  of  my  mistress,  and 
in  the  second,  would  give  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
a  great  deal  of  strange  country.  I  derived  a  third  ad 
vantage,  in  after  times,  from  this  journey,  but  which 
did  not  enter  into  my  estimate  of  this  affair,  at  that 
time. 

My  master  had  not  yet  erected  a  cotton-gin  on  his 
place — the  land  not  being  his  own — and  we  hauled 
our  cotton,  in  the  seed,  nearly  three  miles  to  be  ginned, 
for  which  we  had  to  give  one-fourth  to  the  owner  of 
the  gin. 

When  the  time  of  my  departure  came,  I  loaded  my 
wagon  with  ten  bales  of  cotton,  and  set  cut  with  the 
same  team  of  six  mules  that  I  had  driven  from  South 
Carolina.  Nothing  of  moment  happened  to  me  until 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  281 

the  evening  of  the  fourth  day,  when  we  were  one  hun 
dred  miles  from  home.  My  master  stopped  to-night 
(for  he  traveled  with  me  on  his  horse)  at  the  house  of 
an  old  friend  of  his  ;  and  I  heard  my  master,  in  con 
versation  with  this  gentleman,  (for  such  he  certainly 
was)  give  me  a  very  good  character,  and  tell  him, 
that  I  was  the  most  faithful  and  trusty  negro  that  he 
had  ever  owned.  He  also  said  that  if  he  lived  to  see 
the  expiration  of  the  seven  years  for  which  he  had 
leased  me,  he  intended  to  buy  me.  He  said  much 
more  of  me  ;  and  I  thought  I  heard  him  tell  his  friend 
something  about  my  mistress,  but  this  was  spoken  in 
a  low  tone  of  voice,  and  I  could  not  distinctly  under 
stand  it.  When  I  was  going  away  in  the  morning 
with  my  team,  this  gentleman  came  out  to  the  wagon 
and  ordered  one  of  his  own  slaves  to  help  me  to  put 
the  harness  on  my  mules.  At  parting,  he  told  me  to 
stop  at  his  house  on  my  return  and  stay  all  night ; 
and  said,  I  should  always  be  welcome  to  the  use  of  his 
kitchen,  if  it  should  ever  be  my  lot  to  travel  that  way 
again. 

I  mention  these  trifles  to  show,  that  if  there  are 
hard  and  cruel  masters  in  the  South,  there  are  also 
others  of  a  contrary  character.  The  slave-holders  are 
neither  more  nor  less  than  men,  some  of  whom  are 
good  and  very  many  are  bad.  My  master  and  this 
gentleman  were  certainly  of  the  number  of  the  good, 


282  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

but  the  contrast  between  them  and  some  others  that 
I  have  seen,  was,  unhappily  for  many  of  the  slaves, 
very  great.  I  shall,  hereafter,  refer  to  this  gentleman, 
at  whose  house  I  now  was,  and  shall  never  name  him 
without  honor,  nor  think  of  him  without  gratitude. 

As  I  traveled  through  the  country  with  rny  team, 
my  chief  employment,  beyond  my  duty  of  a  teamster, 
was  to  observe  the  condition  of  the  slaves  on  the 
various  plantations  by  which  we  passed  on  our  journey, 
and  to  compare  things  in  Georgia,  as  I  now  saw  them, 
with  similar  things  in  Carolina,  as  I  had  heretofore 
seen  them. 

There  is  as  much  sameness  among  the  various  cotton 
plantations  in  Georgia,  as  there  is  among  the  various 
farms  in  New  York  or  New  Jersey.  He  who  has  seen 
one  cotton-field  has  seen  all  the  other  cotton-fields, 
bating  the  difference  that  naturally  results  from  good 
and  bad  soils,  or  good  and  bad  culture  ;  but  the  con 
trast  that  prevails  in  the  treatment  of  the  slaves,  on 
different  plantations,  is  very  remarkable.  We  travel 
ed  a  road  that  was  not  well  provided  with  public 
houses,  and  we  frequently  stopped  for  the  night  at  the 
private  dwellings  of  the  planters,  and  I  observed  that 
my  master  was  received  as  a  visitor,  and  treated  as  a 
friend  in  the  family,  whilst  I  was  always  left  at  the 
road  with  my  wagon,  my  master  supplying  me  with 
money  to  buy  food  for  myself  and  my  mules. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          283 

It  was  my  practice,  when  we  remained  all  night  at 
these  gentlemen's  houses,  to  go  to  the  kitchen  in  the 
'evening,  after  I  had  fed  my  mules  and  eaten  my  sup 
per,  and  pass  some  time  in  conversation  with  the  black 
people  I  might  chance  to  find  there.  One  evening  we 
halted  before  sundown,  and  I  unhitched  my  mules  at 
the  road,  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house  of 
a  planter,  to  which  my  master  went  to  claim  hospi 
tality  for  himself. 

After  I  had  disposed  of  my  team  for  the  night,  and 
taken  my  supper,  I  went  as  usual  to  see  the  people  of 
color  in  the  kitchen,  belonging  to  this  plantation.  The 
sun  had  just  set  when  I  reached  the  kitchen,  and  soon 
afterwards,  a  black  boy  came  in  and  told  the  woman, 
who  was  the  only  person  in  the  kitchen  when  I  came 
to  it,  that  she  must  go  down  to  the  overseer's  house. 
She  immediately  started,  in  obedience  to  this  order, 
and  not  choosing  to  remain  alone  in  a  strange  house, 
I  concluded  to  follow  the  woman,  and  see  the  other 
people  of  this  estate.  When  we  reached  the  house  of 
the  overseer,  the  colored  people  were  coming  in  from 
the  field,  and  with  them  came  the  overseer,  and  another 
man,  better  dressed  than  overseers  usually  are. 

I  stood  at  some  distance  from  these  gentlemen,  not 
thinking  it  prudent  to  be  too  forward  amongst  stran 
gers.  The  black  people  were  all  called  together,  and 
the  oversee*  told  them,  that  some  one  of  them  had 


284  Fifty   Years  in  Chains      or, 

stolen  a  fat  hog  from  the  pen,  carried  it  to  the  woods, 
and  there  killed  and  dressed  it ;  that  he  had  that  day 
found  the  place  where  the  hog  had  been  slaughtered, 
and  that  if  they  did  not  confess,  and  tell  who  the  per 
petrators  of  this  theft  were,  they  would  all  be  whipped 
in  the  severest  manner.  To  this  threat,  no  other  reply 
was  made  than  a  universal  assertion  of  the  innocence 
of  the  accused.  They  were  all  then  ordered  to  lie 
down  upon  the  ground,  and  expose  their  backs,  to 
which  the  overseer  applied  the  thong  of  his  long  whip, 
by  turns,  until  he  was  weary.  It  was  fortunate  for 
these  people,  that  they  were  more  than  twenty  in 
number,  which  prevented  the  overseer  from  inflicting 
many  lashes  on  any  one  of  them. 

When  the  whole  number  had  received,  each  in  turn, 
a  share  of  the  lash,  the  overseer  returned  to  the  man, 
to  whom  he  had  first  applied  the  whip,  and  told  him 
he  was  certain  that  he  knew  who  stole  the  hog  ;  and 
that  if  he  did  not  tell  who  the  thief  was,  he  would 
whip  him  all  night.  He  then  again  applied  the  whip 
to  the  back  of  this  man,  until  the  blood  flowed  copi 
ously  j  but  the  sufferer  hid  his  face  in  his  hands,  and 
said  not  a  word.  The  other  gentleman  then  asked  the 
overseer  if  he  was  confident  this  man  had  stolen  the 
pig  ;  and,  receiving  an  affirmative  answer,  he  said  he 
would  make  the  fellow  confess  the  truth,  if  he  would 
follow  his  directions.  He  then  asked  the  overseer  if 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  285 


hi  had  ever  tried  cat-hauling,  upon  an  obstinate  negro  ; 
ai  I  was  told  that  this  punishment  had  been  heard  of, 
bu :  never  practised  on  this  plantation. 

A  boy  was  then  ordered  to  get  up,  run  to  the  house, 
and  bring  a  cat,  which  was  soon  produced.  The  cat, 
which  was  a  large  gray  tom-cat,  was  then  taken  by 
the  well-dressed  gentleman,  and  placed  upon  the  bare 
back  of  the  prostrate  black  man,  near  the  shoulder, 
and  forcibly  dragged  by  the  tail  down  the  back,  and 
along  the  bare  thighs  of  the  sufferer.  The  cat  sunk 
his  r.ails  into  the  flesh,  and  tore  off  pieces  of  the  skin 
with  his  teeth.  The  man  roared  with  the  pain  of  this 
punishment,  and  would  have  rolled  along  the  ground, 
had  he  not  been  held  in  his  place  by  the  force  of  four 
other  slaves,  each  one  of  whom  confined  a  hand  or  a 
foot.  As  soon  as  the  cat  was  drawn  from  him,  the 
man  said  he  would  tell  who  stole  the  hog,  and  confess 
ed  that  he  and  several  others,  three  of  whom  were 
then  holding  him,  had  stolen  the  hog — killed,  dressed, 
and  eaten  it.  In  return  for  this  confession,  the  over 
seer  said  he  should  have  another  touch  of  the  cat,  which 
was  again  drawn  along  his  back,  not  as  before,  from 
the  head  downwards,  but  from  below  the  hips  to  the 
head.  The  man  was  then  permitted  to  rise,  and  each 
of  those  who  had  been  named  by  him  as  a  participator 
in  stealing  the  hog,  was  compelled  to  lie  down,  and 
have  the  cat  twice  drawn  along  his  back  ;  first  down- 


286  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

wards,  and  then  upwards.  After  the  termination  ot 
this  punishment,  each  of  the  sufferers  was  washed  with 
salt  water,  by  a  black  woman,  and  they  were  then  all 
dismissed.  This  was  the  most  excruciating  punish 
ment  that  I  ever  saw  inflicted  on  black  people,  and,  in 
my  opinion,  it  is  very  dangerous  ;  for  the  claws  of  the 
cat  are  poisonous,  and  wounds  made  by  them  are  very 
subject  to  inflammation. 

During  all  this  time,  I  had  remained  at  the  distance 
of  fifty  yards  from  the  place  of  punishment,  fearing 
either  to  advance  or  retreat,  lest  I  too  might  excite 
the  indignation  of  these  sanguinary  judges.  After 
the  business  was  over,  and  my  feelings  became  a  little 
more  composed,  I  thought  the  voice  of  the  gentleman 
in  good  clothes,  was  familiar  to  me  ;  but  I  could  not 
recollect  who  he  was,  nor  where  I  had  heard  his  voice, 
until  the  gentlemen  at  length  left  this  place,  and  went 
towards  the  great  house,  and  as  they  passed  me,  I  re 
cognized  in  the  companion  of  the  overseer,  my  old 
master,  the  negro  trader,  who  had  bought  me  in  Mary 
land,  and  brought  me  to  Carolina. 

I  afterwards  learned  from  my  master  that  this  man 
had  formerly  been  engaged  in  the  African  slave-trade, 
which  he  had  given  up  some  years  before,  for  the  safei 
and  less  arduous  business  of  buying  negroes  in  the 
North,  and  bringing  them  to  the  South,  as  articles  of 
merchandise,  in  which  he  had  acquired  a  very  respect- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave,  287 

able  fortune — -had  lately  married  in  a  wealthy  family, 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  was  a  great  planter. 

Two  days  after  this,  we  reached  Savannah,  where 
my  master  sold  his  cotton,  and  purchased  a  wagon 
load  of  sugar,  molasses,  coffee,  shoes,  dry  goods,  and 
such  articles  as  we  stood,  in  need  of  at  home  ;  and  on 
the  next  day  after  I  entered  the  city,  I  again  left  it, 
and  directed  my  course  up  the  country.  In  Savannah 
I  saw  many  black  men  who  were  slaves,  and  who  yet 
acted  as  freemen  so  far  that  they  went  out  to  work, 
where  and  with  whom  they  pleased,  received  their  own 
wages,  and  provided  their  own  subsistence  ;  but  were 
obliged  to  pay  a  certain  sum  at  the  end  of  each  week 
to  their  masters.  One  of  these  men  told  me  that  he 
paid  six  dollars  on  every  Saturday  evening  to  his  mas 
ter  ;  and  yet  he  was  comfortably  dressed,  and  appear 
ed  to  live  well.  Savannah  was  a  very  busy  place,  and 
I  saw  vast  quantities  of  cotton  piled  up  on  the  wharves, 
but  the  appearance  of  the  town  itself  was  not  much  in 
favor  of  the  people  who  lived  in  it. 

On  my  way  home  I  traveled  for  several  days,  by  a 
road  different  from  that  which  we  had  pursued  in  com 
ing  down  ;  and  at  the  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles 
from  Savannah,  I  passed  by  the  largest  plantation  that 
I  had  ever  seen.  I  think  I  saw  at  least  a  thousand 
acres  of  cotton  in  one  field,  which  was  all  as  level  as  a 
bowling-green.  There  were,  as  I  was  told,  three  him- 


288  Fifty   Years  in  Oliains  ;  or, 

dred  and  fifty  hands  at  work  in  this  field,  picking  the 
last  of  the  cotton  from  the  burs  ;  and  these  were  the 
most  miserable  looking  slaves  that  I  had  seen  in  all 
my  travels. 

It  was  now  the  depth  of  winter,  and  although  the 
weather  was  not  cold,  yet  it  was  the  winter  of  this  cli 
mate  ;  and  a  man  who  lives  on  the  Savannah  river  a 
few  years,  will  find  himself  almost  as  much  oppressed 
with  cold,  in  winter  there,  as  he  would  be  in  the  same 
season  of  the  year  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  if  he 
had  always  resided  there. 

<  These  people  were,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  totally  with- 
'out  shoes,  and  there  was  no  such  garment  as  a  hat  of 
any  kind  amongst  them.  Each  person  had  a  coarse 
blanket,  which  had  holes  cut  for  the  arms  to  pass 
through,  and  the  top  was  drawn  up  round  tho  neck, 
so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  loose  frock,  tied  before  with 
strings.  The  arms,  when  the  people  were  at  work, 
were  naked,  and  some  of  them  had  very  little  clothing 
of  any  kind  besides  this  blanket  frock.  The  appear 
ance  of  these  people  afforded  the  most  conclusive  evi 
dence  that  they  were  not  eaters  of  pork,  and  that  lent 
lasted  with  them  throughout  the  year. 

I  again  staid  all  night,  as  I  went  home,  with  the 
gentleman  whom  I  have  before  noticed  as  the  friend  of 
my  master,  who  had  left  me  soon  after  we  quitted  Sav 
annah,  and  I  saw  him  no  more  untiJ  I  reached  home. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          289 

Soon  after  my  return  from  Savannah,  an  affair  of  a 
very  melancholy  character  took  place  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  my  master's  plantation.  About  two  miles 
from  our  residence  lived  a  gentleman  who  was  a  bach 
elor,  and  who  had  for  his  housekeeper  a  mulatto  woman. 
The  master  was  a  young  man,  not  moi6  than  twenty- 
five  years  old,  and  the  housekeeper  must  have  been  at 
least  forty.  She  had  children  grown  up,  one  of  whom 
had  been  sold  by  her  master,  the  father  of  the  bachelor, 
since  I  lived  here,  and  carried  away  to  the  West.  This 
woman  had  acquired  a  most  unaccountable  influence 
over  her  young  master,  who  lived  with  her  as  his  wife, 
and  gave  her  the  entire  command  of  his  house,  and  of 
every  thing  about  it.  Before  he  came  to  live  where  lie 
QOW  did,  and  whilst  he  still  resided  with  his  father,  to 
whom  the  woman  then  belonged,  the  old  gentleman 
perceiving  the  attachment  of  his  son  to  this  female, 
had  sold  her  to  a  trader,  who  was  on  his  way  to  the 
Mississippi  river,  in  the  absence  of  the  young  man ; 
but  when  the  latter  returned  home,  and  learned  what 
had  been  done,  he  immediately  set  off  in  pursuit  of 
the  purchaser,  overtook  him  somewhere  in  the  Indian 
territory,  and  bought  the  woman  of  him,  at  an  advan 
ced  price.  He  then  brought  her  back,  and  put  her,  a* 
his  housekeeper,  on  the  place  where  he  now  lived 
left  his  father,  and  came  to  reside  in  person  with  th> 

woman. 

13 


290  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

On  a  plantation  adjoining  that  of  the  gentleman 
bachelor,  lived  a  planter,  who  owned  a  young  mulatto 
man,  named  Frank,  not  more  than  twenty-four  or  five 
years  old,  a  very  smart  as  well  as  handsome  fellow. — 
Frank  had  become  as  much  enamored  of  this  woman, 
who  was  old  enough  to  have  been  his  mother,  as  her 
master,  the  bachelor  was  ;  and  she  returned  Frank's 
attachment,  to  the  prejudice  of  her  owner.  Frank  was 
in  the  practice  of  visiting  his  mistress  at  night,  a  cir 
cumstance  of  which  her  master  was  suspicious  ;  and  he 
forbade  Frank  from  coming  to  the  house.  This  only 
heightened  the  flame  that  was  burning  in  the  bosoms 
of  the  lovers  ;  and  they  resolved,  after  many  and  long 
deliberations,  to  destroy  the  master.  She  projected 
the  plot,  and  furnished  the  means  for  the  murder,  by 
taking  her  master's  gun  from  the  place  where  he  usu 
ally  kept  it,  and  giving  it  to  Frank,  who  came  to  the 
house  in  the  evening,  when  the  gentleman  was  taking 
his  supper  alone. 

Lucy  always  waited  upon  her  master  at  his  meals, 
and  knowing  his  usual  place  of  sitting,  had  made  a 
hole  between  two  of  the  logs  of  the  house,  towards 
which  she  knew  his  back  would  be  at  supper.  At  a 
given  signal,  Frank  came  quietly  up  the  house,  levelled 
the  gun  through  the  bole  prepared  for  him,  and  dis 
charged  a  load  of  buck-shot  between  the  shoulders  of 
the  unsuspecting  master,  who  sprang  from  his  seat  and 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  291 

fell  dead  beside  the  table.  This  murder  was  not  known 
in  the  neighborhood  until  the  next  morning,  when  the 
woman  herself  went  to  a  house  on  an  adjoining  plan 
tation  and  told  it. 

The  murdered  gentleman  had  several  other  slaves, 
none  of  whom  were  at  home  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
except  one  man  ;  and  he  was  so  terrified  that  he  was 
afraid  to  run  and  alarm  the  neighborhood.  I  knew 
this  man  well,  and  believe  he  was  afraid  of  the  woman 
and  her  accomplice.  I  never  had  any  doubt  of  his  in 
nocence,  though  he  suffered  a  punishment,  upon  no 
other  evidence  than  mere  suspicion,  far  more  terrible 
than  any  ordinary  form  of  death. 

As  soon  as  the  murder  was  known  to  the  neighbor 
ing  gentlemen,  they  hastened  to  visit  the  dead  body, 
and  were  no  less  expeditious  in  instituting  inquiries 
after  those  who  had  done  the  bloody  deed.  My  mas 
ter  was  amongst  the  first  who  arrived  at  the  house  of 
the  deceased  ;  and  in  a  short  time,  half  the  slaves  of 
the  neighboring  plantations  were  arrested,  and  brought 
to  the  late  dwelling  of  the  dead  man.  For  my  own 
part,  from  the  moment  I  heard  of  the  murder,  I  had 
no  doubt  of  its  author. 

Silence  is  a  great  virtue  when  it  is  dangerous  to 
speak  ;  and  I  had  long  since  determined  never  to 
advance  opinions,  uncalled  for,  in  controversies  between 
the  white  people  and  the  slayes.  Many  witnesses  were 


292  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

examined  by  a  justice  of  the  peace,  before  the  coroner 
arrived,  but  after  the  coming  of  the  latter,  a  jury  was 
called  ;  and  more  than  half  a  day  was  spent  in  asking 
questions  of  various  black  people,  without  the  disclo 
sure  of  any  circumstance,  which  tended  to  fix  the  guilt 
of  the  murder  upon  any  one.  My  master,  who  was  pre 
sent  all  this  time,  at  last  desired  them  to  examine  me, 
if  it  was  thought  that  my  testimony  could  be  of  any 
service  in  the  matter,  as  he  wished  me  to  go  home  to 
attend  to  my  work.  I  was  sworn  on  the  Testament 
to  tell  the  whole  truth  ;  and  stated  at  the  commence 
ment  of  my  testimony,  that  I  believed  Frank  and  Lucy 
to  be  the  murderers,  and  proceeded  to  assign  the  rea 
sons  upon  which  my  opinion  was  founded.  Frank  had 
not  been  present  at  this  examination,  and  Lucy,  who 
had  been  sworn,  had  said  she  knew  nothing  of  the 
matter  ;  that  at  the  time  her  master  was  shot  she  had 
gone  into  the  kitchen  for  some  milk  for  his  supper,  and 
that  on  hearing  the  gun,  she  had  come  into  the  room 
at  the  moment  he  fell  to  the  floor  and  expired  ;  but 
when  she  opened  the  door  and  looked  out,  she  could 
neither  hear  nor  see  any  one. 

When  Frank  was  brought  in  and  made  to  touch 
the  dead  body,  which  he  was  compelled  to  do,  because 
some  said  that  if  he  was  the  murderer,  the  corpse 
would  bleed  at  his  touch,  he  trembled  so  much  that  I 
thought  he  would  fall  ,  but  no  blood  issued  frcm  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          293 

wound  of  the  dead  man.  This  compulsory  touching 
of  the  dead  had,  however,  in  this  instance,  a  much  more 
powerful  effect,  in  the  conviction  of  the  criminal,  than 
the  flowing  of  any  quantity  of  blood  could  have  had  ; 
for  as  soon  as  Frank  had  withdrawn  his  hand  from  the 
touch  of  the  dead,  the  coroner  asked  him,  in  a  peremp 
tory  tone,  as  if  conscious  of  the  fact,  why  he  had  done 
this.  Frank  was  so  confounded  with  fear,  and  over 
whelmed  by  this  interrogatory,  that  he  lost  all  self- 
possession,  and  cried  out  in  a  voice  of  despair,  that 
Lucy  had  made  him  do  it. 

Lucy,  who  had  left  the  room  when  Frank  was 
brought  in,  was  now  recalled,  and  confronted  with 
her  partner  in  guilt,  but  nothing  could  wring  a  word 
of  confession  from  her.  She  persisted,  that  if  Frank 
had  murdered  her  master,  he  had  done  it  of  his  own 
accord,  and  without  her  knowledge  or  advice.  Some 
one  now,  for  the  first  time,  thought  of  making  search 
for  the  gun  of  the  dead  man,  which  was  not  found  in 
the  place  where  he  usually  had  kept  it.  Frank  said 
he  had  committed  the  crime  with  this  gun,  which  had 
been  placed  in  his  hands  by  Lucy.  Frank,  Lucy  and 
Billy,  a  black  man,  against  whom  there  was  no  evi 
dence,  nor  cause  of  suspicion,  except  that  he  was  in 
the  kitchen  at  the  time  of  the  murder,  were  commit 
ted  to  prison  in  a  new  log-house  on  an  adjoining  plan 
tation,  closely  confined  In  irons,  and  kept  there  a  lit- 


294  Fifty  Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

tie  more  than  two  weeks,  when  they  were  all  tried  be 
fore  some  gentlemen  of  the  neighborhood,  who  held  a 
court  for  that  purpose.  Lucy  and  Frank  were  con 
demned  to  be  hung,  but  Billy  was  found  not  guilty  ; 
although  he  was  not  released,  but  kept  in  confinement 
until  the  execution  of  his  companions,  which  took 
place  ten  days  after  the  trial. 

On  the  morning  of  the  execution,  my  master  told 
me,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  people,  that  we  must  go  to 
the  hanging,  as  it  was  termed  by  him  as  well  as  others. 
The  place  of  punishment  was  only  two  miles  from  my 
master's  residence,  and  I  was  there  in  time  to  get  a 
good  stand,  near  the  gallows'  tree,  by  which  I  was 
enabled  to  see  all  the  proceedings  connected  with  this 
solemn  affair.  It  was  estimated  by  my  master,  that 
there  were  at  least  fifteen  thousand  people  present  at 
this  scene,  more  than  half  of  whom  were  blacks  ;  all 
the  masters,  for  a  great  distance  round  the  country, 
having  permitted,  or  compelled  their  people  to  come 
to  this  hanging. 

Billy  was  brought  to  the  gallows  with  Lucy  and 
Frank,  but  was  permitted  to  walk  beside  the  cart  in 
which  they  rode.  Under  the  gallows,  after  the  rope 
was  around  her  neck,  Lucy  confessed  that  the  murder 
had  been  designed  by  her  in  the  first  place,  and  that 
Frank  had  only  perpetrated  it  at  her  instance.  She 
said  she  had  at  first  intended  to  apply  to  Billy  to 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          295 

assist  her  in  the  undertaking,  but  had  afterwards 
communicated  her  designs  to  Frank,  who  offered  to 
shoot  her  master,  if  she  would  supply  him  with  a  gun, 
and  let  no  other  person  be  in  the  secret. 

A  long  sermon  was  preached  by  a  white  man  under 
the  gallows,  which  was  only  the  limb  of  a  tree,  and 
afterwards  an  exhortation  was  delivered  by  a  black 
man.  The  two  convicts  were  hung  together,  and  after 
they  were  quite  dead,  a  consultation  was  held  among 
the  gentlemen  as  to  the  future  disposition  of  Billy, 
who,  bavins;  been  in  the  house  when  his  master  was 

J  O 

murdered,  and  not  having  given  immediate  informa 
tion  of  the  fact,  was  held  to  be  guilty  of  concealing 
the  death,  and  was  accordingly  sentenced  to  receive 
five  hundred  lashes.  I  was  in  the  branches  of  a  tree 
close  by  the  place  where  the  court  was  held,  and  dis 
tinctly  heard  its  proceedings  and  judgment.  Some 
went  to  the  woods  to  cut  hickories,  whilst  others  strip 
ped  Billy  and  tied  him  to  a  tree.  More  than  twenty 
long  switches,  some  of  them  six  or  seven  feet  in 
length,  had  been  procured,  and  two  men  applied  the 
rods  at  the  same  time,  one  standing  on  each  side  of 
the  culprit,  one  of  them  using  his  left  hand. 

I  had  often  seen  black  men  whipped,  and  had  al 
ways,  when  the  lash  was  applied  with  great  severity, 
heard  the  sufferer  cry  out  and  beg  for  mercy,  but  in 
this  case,  the  pain  inflicted  by  the  double  blows  of  the 


296  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

hickory  was  so  intense,  that  Billy  never  uttered  so 
much  as  a  groan  ;  and  I  do  not  believe  he  hreathed 
for  the  space  of  two  minutes  after  he  received  the  first 
strokes.  He  shrank  his  body  close  to  the  trunk  of  the 
tree,  around  which  his  arms  and  legs  were  lashed, 
drew  his  shoulders  up  to  his  head  like  a  dying  man, 
and  trembled,  or  rather  shivered,  in  all  his  members. 
The  blood  flowed  from  the  commencement,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  lay  in  small  puddles  at  the  root  of  the 
tree.  I  saw  flakes  of  flesh  as  long  as  my  finger  fall 
out  of  the  gashes  in  his  back  ;  and  I  believe  he  was 
insensible  during  all  the  time  that  he  was  receiving 
the  last  two  hundred  lashes.  When  the  whole  five 
hundred  lashes  had  been  counted  by  the  person  ap 
pointed  to  perform  this  duty,  the  half  dead  body  was 
unbound  and  laid  in  the  shade  of  the  tree  upon  which  I 
sat.  The  gentlemen  who  had  done  the  whipping, 
eight  or  ten  in  number,  being  joined  by  their  friends, 
then  came  under  the  tree  and  drank  punch  until  their 
dinner  was  made  ready,  under  a  booth  of  green  boughs 
at  a  short  distance. 

After  dinner,  Billy,  who  had  been  groaning  on  the 
ground  where  he  was  laid,  was  taken  up,  placed  in 
the  cart  in  which  Lucy  and  Frank  had  been  brought 
to  the  gallows,  and  conveyed  to  the  dwelling  of  his 
late  master,  where  he  was  confined  to  the  house  and 
his  bed  more  than  three  months,  and  was  never  worth 
much  afterwards  while  I  remained  irt  Georgia. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          297 

Lucy  and  Frank,  after  they  had  been  half  an  hour 
upon  the  gallows,  were  cut  down,  and  suffered  to  drop 
into  a  deep  hole  that  had  been  dug  under  them  whilst 
they  were  suspended.  As  they  fell,  so  the  earth  was 
thrown  upon  them,  and  the  grave  closed  over  them 
for  ever. 

They  were  hung  on  Thursday,  and  the  vast  assem 
blage  of  people  that  had  convened  to  witness  their 
death  did  not  leave  the  place  altogether  until  the  next 
Monday  morning.  Wagons,  carts,  and  carriages  had 
been  brought  upon  the  ground  ;  booths  and  tents 
erected  for  the  convenience  and  accommodation  of  the 
multitude  ;  and  the  terrible  spectacles  that  I  have 
just  described  were  succeeded  by  music,  dancing,  trad 
ing  in  horses,  gambling,  drinking,  fighting,  and  every 
other  species  of  amusement  and  excess  to  which  the 
southern  people  are  addicted. 

I  had  to  work  in  the  day-time,  but  went  every  night 
to  witness  this  funeral  carnival, — the  numbers  that 
joined  in  which  appeared  to  increase,  rather  than  di 
minish,  during  the  Friday  and  Saturday  that  followed 
the  execution.  It  was  not  until  Sunday  afternoon  that 
the  crowd  began  sensibly  to  diminish  ;  and  on  Monday 
morning,  after  breakfast  time,  the  last  wagons  left  the 
ground,  now  trampled  into  dust  as  dry  and  as  light  as 
ashes,  and  the  grave  of  the  murderers  was  left  to  the 

«olitude  of  the  woods. 

13* 


298  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


Certainly  those  who  were  hanged  well  deserved  their 
punishment ;  but  it  was  a  very  arbitrary  exercise  of 
power  to  whip  a  man  until  he  was  insensible,  because 
he  did  not  prevent  a  murder  which  was  committed 
without  his  knowledge  ;  and  I  could  not  understand 
the  right  of  punishing  him,  because  he  was  so  weak  or 
timorous  as  to  refrain  from  the  disclosure  of  the  crime 
the  moment  it  came  to  his  knowledge. 

It  is  necessary  for  the  southern  people  to  be  vigi 
lant  in  guarding  the  moral  condition  of  their  slaves, 
and  even  to  punish  the  intention  to  commit  crimes, 
when  that  intention  can  be  clearly  proved ;  for  such 
is  the  natural  relation  of  master  and  slave,  in  by  far 
the  greater  number  of  cases,  that  no  cordiality  of  feel 
ing  can  ever  exist  between  them  ;  and  the  sentiments 
that  bind  together  the  different  members  of  society  in 
a  state  of  freedom  and  social  equality,  being  absent, 
the  master  must  resort  to  principles  of  physical  re 
straint,  and  rules  of  mental  coercion,  unknown  in  an 
other  and  a  different  condition  of  the  social  compact. 
4.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  southern  planters 
could  ever  retain  their  property,  or  live  amongst  their 
slaves,  if  those  slaves  were  not  kept  in  terror  of  the 
punishment  that  would  follow  acts  of  violence  and 
disorder.  There  is  no  difference  between  the  feelings 
of  the  different  races  of  men,  so  far  as  their  personal 
rights  are  concerned.  The  black  man  is  as  anxious  to 


The  Lift  of  an  American  Slave.  299 

possess  and  to  enjoy  liberty  as  the  white  one  would  be, 
were  he  deprived  of  this  inestimable  blessing.  It  is 
not  for  me  to  say  that  the  one  is  as  well  qualified  for 
the  enjoyment  of  liberty  as  the  other.  Low  ignorance, 
moral  degradation  of  character,  and  mental  depravity, 
are  inseparable  companions  ;  and  in  the  breast  of  an 
ignorant  man,  the  passions  of  envy  and  revenge  hold 
unbridled  dominion. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  April  that  I  witnessed  the 
painful  spectacle  of  two  fellow-creatures  being  launch 
ed  into  the  abyss  of  eternity,  and  a  third,  being  tor 
tured  beyond  the  sufferings  of  mere  death,  not  for  his 
crimes,  but  as  a  terror  to  others  ;  and  this,  not  to  deter 
others  from  the  commission  of  crimes,-  but  to  stimulate 
them  to  a  more  active  and  devoted  performance  of  their 
duties  to  their  owners.  My  spirits  had  not  recovered 
from  the  depression  produced  by  that  scene,  in  which 
niy  feelings  had  been  awakened  in  the  cause  of  others, 
when  I  was  called  to  a  nearer  and  more  immediate 
apprehension  of  sufferings,  which,  I  now  too  clearly 
saw,  were  in  preparation  for  myself. 

My  master's  health  became  worse  continually,  and 
I  expected  he  would  not  survive  this  summer.  In 
this,  however,  I  was  disappointed  ;  but  he  was  so  ill 
that  he  was  seldom  able  to  come  to  the  field,  and  paid 
but  little  attention  to  his  plantation,  or  the  culture  of 
his  crops.  II 3  left  the  care  of  the  cotton  field  to  me 


300  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

after  the  month  of  June,  and  was  not  again  out  on  the 
plantation  before  the  following  October  ;  when  he  one 
day  came  out  on  a  little  Indian  pony  that  he  had  used  as 
his  hackney,  before  he  was  so  far  reduced  as  to  decline 
the  practice  of  riding.  I  suffered  very  much  this  sum 
mer  for  want  of  good  and  substantial  provisions,  my 
master  being  no  longer  able  to  supply  me,  with  his 
usual  liberality,  from  his  own  meat  house.  I  was 
obliged  to  lay  out  nearly  all  my  other  earnings,  in  the 
course  of  the  summer,  for  bacon,  to  enable  me  to  bear 
the  hardship  and  toil  to  which  I  was  exposed.  My 
master  often  sent  for  me  to  come  to  the  house,  and 
talked  to  me  in  a  very  kind  manner ;  and  I  believe 
that  no  hired  overseer  could  have  carried  on  the  busi 
ness  more  industriously  than  I  did,  until  the  crop  was 
secured  the  next  winter. 

Soon  after  my  master  was  in  the  field,  in  October, 
he  sent  for  me  to  come  to  him  one  day,  and  gave  me, 
on  parting,  a  pretty  good  great  coat  of  strong  drab 
cloth,  almost  new,  which  he  said  would  be  of  service 
to  me  in  the  coming  winter.  He  also  gave  me  at 
the  same  time  a  pair  of  boots  which  he  had  worn  half 
out,  but  the  legs  of  which  were  quite  good.  This 
great  coat  and  these  boots  were  afterwards  of  great 
service  to  me. 

As  the  winter  came  on  my  master  grew  worse,  and 
though  he  still  continued  to  walk  about  the  house  in 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          301 

good  weather,  it  was  manifest  that  he  was  approaching 
the  close  of  his  earthly  existence.  I  worked  very  hard 
this  winter.  The  crop  of  cotton  was  heavy,  and  we 
did  not  get  it  all  out  of  the  field  until  some  time  after 
Christmas,  which  compelled  me  to  work  hard  myself, 
and  cause  my  fellow-slaves  to  work  hard  too,  in  clear 
ing  the  land  that  my  master  was  bound  to  clear  every 
year  on  this  place.  He  desired  me  to  get  as  much  of 
the  land  cleared  in  time  for  cotton  as  I  could,  and  to 
plant  the  rest  with  corn  when  cleared  off. 

As  I  was  now  entrusted  with  the  entire  superinten 
dence  of  the  plantation  by  my  master,  who  never  left 
his  house,  it  became  necessary  for  me  to  assume  the 
authority  of  an  overseer  of  my  fellow-slaves,  and  I  not 
unfrequently  found  it  proper  to  punish  them  with 
stripes  to  compel  them  to  perform  their  work.  At 
first  I  felt  much  repugnance  against  the  use  of  the 
hickory,  the  only  instrument  with  which  I  punished 
offenders,  but  the  longer  I  was  accustomed  to  this 
practice,  the  more  familiar  and  less  offensive  it  became 
to  me  ;  and  I  believe  that  a  few  years  of  perseverance 
and  experience  would  have  made  me  as  inveterate  a 
negro-driver  as  any  in  Georgia,  though  I  feel  conscious 
that  I  never  should  have  become  so  hardened  as  to 
strip  a  person  for  the  purpose  of  whipping,  nor  should 
I  ever  have  consented  to  compel  people  to  work  with- 


302  Fifty  Years  in  Chains]  or, 

out  a  sufficiency  of  good  food,  if  I  had  it  in  my  power 
to  supply  them  with  enough  of  this  first  of  comforts. 

In  the  month  of  February,  my  master  became  so 
weak,  and  his  cough  was  so  distressing,  that  he  took 
to  his  bed,  from  which  he  never  again  departed,  save 
only  once,  before  the  time  when  he  was  removed  to 
be  wrapped  in  his  winding-sheet.  In  the  month  of 
March,  two  of  the  brothers  of  my  mistress  came  to  see 
her,  and  remained  with  her  until  after  the  death  of  my 
master. 

When  they  had  been  with  their  sister  about  thre6 
weeks,  they  came  to  the  kitchen  one  day  when  I  had 
come  in  for  my  dinner,  and  told  me  that  they  were 
going  to  whip  me.  I  asked  them  what  they  were  go 
ing  to  whip  me  for  ?  to  which  they  replied,  that  they 
thought  a  good  whipping  would  be  good  for  me,  and 
that  at  any  rate,  I  must  prepare  to  take  it.  My  mis 
tress  now  joined  us,  and  after  swearing  at  me  in  the 
most  furious  manner,  for  a  space  of  several  minutes, 
and  bestowing  upon  me  a  multitude  of  the  coarsest 
epithets,  told  me  that  she  had  long  owed  me  a  whip 
ping,  and  that  I  should  now  get  it. 

She  then  ordered  me  to  take  off  my  shirt,  (the  only 
garment  I  had  on,  except  a  pair  of  old  tow  linen  trow- 
sers5)  and  the  two  brothers  backed  the  command  of 
their  sister,  the  one  by  presenting  a  pistol  at  my  breast, 
and  the  other  by  drawing  a  large  club  <~>ver  his  head 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          303 

in  the  attitude  of  striking  ine.  Eesistance  was  vain, 
and  I  was  forced  to  yield.  My  shirt  being  off,  I  was 
tied  by  the  hands  with  a  stout  bed-cord,  and  being  led 
to  a  tree,  called  the  Pride  of  China,  that  grew  in  the 
yard,  my  hands  were  drawn  by  the  rope,  being  passed 
over  a  limb,  until  my  feet  no  longer  touched  the  ground. 
Being  thus  suspended  in  the  air  by  the  rope,  and  my 
whole  weight  hanging  on  my  wrists,  I  was  unable  to 
move  any  part  of  my  person,  except  my  feet  and  legs. 
I  had  never  been  whipped  since  I  was  a  boy,  and  felt 
the  injustice  of  the  present  proceeding  with  the  ut 
most  keenness  ;  but  neither  justice  nor  my  feelings 
had  any  influence  upon  the  hearts  of  my  mistress  and 
her  brothers,  two  men  as  cruel  in  temper  and  as 
savage  in  manners  as  herself. 

The  first  strokes  of  the  hickory  produced  a  sensation 
that  I  can  only  liken  to  streams  of  scalding  water, 
running  along  my  back  ;  but  after  a  hundred  or  hun 
dred  and  fifty  lashes  had  been  showered  upon  me,  the 
pain  became  less  acute  and  piercing,  but  was  succeed 
ed  by  a  dead  and  painful  aching,  which  seemed  to 
extend  to  my  very  backbone. 

As  I  hung  by  the  rope,  the  moving  of  my  legs  some 
times  caused  me  to  turn  round,  and  soon  after  they 
began  to  beat  me  I  saw  the  pale  and  death-like  figure 
of  my  master  standing  at  the  door,  when  my  face  was 
turned  toward  the  house,  and  heard  him,  in  a  faint 


304  Fifty   Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

voice,  scarcely  louder  than  a  strong  breathing,  com 
manding  his  brothers-in-law  to  let  me  go.  These 
commands  were  disregarded,  untL  I  had  received  full 
three  hundred  lashes  ;  and  doubtlessly  more  would 
have  been  inflicted  upon  me,  had  not  my  master,  with 
an  effort  beyond  his  strength,  by  the  aid  of  a  stick  on 
which  he  supported  himself,  made  his  way  to  me,  and 
placing  his  skeleton  form  beside  rne  as  I  hung,  told 
his  brothers-in-law  that  if  they  struck  another  stroke 
lie  would  send  for  a  lawyer  and  have  them  both  prose 
cuted  at  law.  This  interposition  stopped  the  progress 
of  my  punishment,  and  after  cutting  me  down,  they 
carried  my  master  again  into  the  house.  I  was  yet 
able  to  walk,  and  went  into  the  kitchen,  whither  my 
mistress  followed,  and  compelled  me  to  submit  to  be 
washed  in  brine  by  a  black  woman,  who  acted  as  her 
cook.  I  was  then  permitted  to  put  my  shirt  on,  and 
to  go  to  my  bed. 

This  was  Saturday,  and  on  the  next  day,  when  I 
awoke  late  in  the  morning,  I  found  myself  unable  to 
turn  over  or  to  rise.  I  felt  too  indignant  at  the  bar 
barity  \\ith  which  I  had  been  treated  to  call  for  help 
from  any  one,  and  lay  in  my  bed  made  of  corn  husks 
until  after  twelve  o'clock,  when  my  mistress  came  to 
me  and  asked  me  how  I  was.  A  slave  must  not 
manifest  feelings  of  resentment,  and  I  answered  with 
humility,  that  I  was  v:ry  sore  and  unable  to  get  up. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  305 

She  then  called  a  man  and  a  woman,  who  came  and 
raised  me  up  ;  but  I  now  found  that  my  shirt  was  as 
fast  to  my  back  as  if  it  had  grown  there.  The  blood 
and  bruised  flesh  having  become  incorporated  with  the 
substance  of  the  linen,  it  formed  only  the  outer  coat 
of  the  great  scab  that  covered  my  back. 

After  I  was  down  stairs,  my  mistress  had  me  washed 
in  warm  water,  and  warm  grease  was  rubbed  over  my 
back  and  sides,  until  the  shirt  was  saturated  with  oil, 
and  becoming  soft,  was  at  length  separated  from  my 
back.  My  mistress  then  had  my  back  washed  and 
greased,  and  put  upon  me  one  of  my  master's  old 
linen  shirts.  She  had  become  alarmed,  and  was  fear 
ful  either  that  I  should  die,  or  would  not  be  able 
to  work  again  for  a  long  time.  As  it  was,  she  lost  a 
month  of  my  labor  at  this  time,  and  in  the  end,  she 
lost  myself,  in  consequence  of  this  whipping. 

As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  walk,jmy  master  sent  for 
me  to  come  to  his  bed-side,  and  told  me  that  he  was 
very  sorry  for  what  had  happened  ;  that  it  was  not  his 
fault,  and  that  if  he  had  been  well  I  should  never 
have  been  touched.  |Tears  came  in  his  eyes  as  he 
talked  to  me,  and  said  that  as  he  could  not  live  long, 
he  hoped  I  would  continue  faithful  to  him  whilst  he 
did  live.  This  I  promised  to  do,  for  I  really  loved  my 
master  ;» but  I  had  already  determined,  that  as  soon 
as  he  was  in  his  grave,  I  would  attempt  to  escape 


306  Fifty   Years  in  CJiains  ;  or, 

from  Georgia  and  the  cotton  country,  if  my  life  should 
be  the  forfeiture  of  the  attempt. 

As  soon  as  I  had  recovered  of  my  wounds,  I  again 
went  to  work,  not  in  my  former  situation  of  superin 
tendent  of  my  master's  plantation,  for  this  place  was 
now  occupied  by  one  of  the  brothers  of  my  mistress, 
but  in  the  woods,  where  my  mistress  had  determined 
to  clear  a  new  field.  After  this  time,  I  did  nothing 
but  grub  and  clear  land,  while  I  remained  in  Georgia, 
but  I  was  always  making  preparations  for  my  depar 
ture  from  that  country. 

My  master  was  an  officer  of  militia,  and  had  a  sword 
which  he  wore  on  parade  days,  and  at  other  times  he 
hung  it  up  in  the  room  where  he  slept.  I  conceived 
an  idea  that  this  sword  would  be  of  service  to  me  in 
the  long  journey  that  I  intended  to  undertake.  One 
evening,  when  I  had  gone  in  to  see  my  master,  and 
had  remained  standing  at  his  bed-side  some  time,  he 
closed  his  eyes  as  if  going  to  sleep,  and  it  being  twi- 
Jight,  I  slipped  the  sword  from  the  place  where  it 
hung,  and  dropped  it  out  of  the  window.  I  knew  my 
master  could  never  need  this  weapon  again,  but  yet  I 
felt  some  compunction  of  conscience  at  the  thought 
of  robbing  so  good  a  man.  When  I  left  the  room,  I 
took  up  the  sword,  and  afier  .vnrds  secreted  it  in  a 
iiollow  tree  in  the  woods,  near  the  place  at  which  I 
worked  daily. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          307 


CHAPTER    XY. 

MY  master  died  in  the  month  of  May,  and  I  follow 
ed  him  to  his  grave  with  a  heavy  heart,  for  I  felt  that 
I  had  lost  the  only  friend  I  had  in  the  world,  who 
possessed  at  once  the  power  and  the  inclination  to 
protect  me  against  the  tyranny  and  oppression  to 
which  slaves  on  a  cotton  plantation  are  subject. 

Had  he  lived,  I  should  have  remained  with  him  and 
never  have  left  him,  for  he  had  promised  to  purchase 
the  residue  of  my  time  of  my  owners  in  Carolina  ;  but 
when  he  was  gone,  I  felt  the  parting  of  the  last  tie 
that  bound  me  to  the  place  where  I  then  was,  and  my 
heart  yearned  for  my  wife  and  children,  from  whom  I 
had  now  been  separated  more  than  four  years. 

I  held  my  life  in  small  estimation,  if  it  was  to  be 
worn  out  under  the  dominion  of  my  mistress  and  her 
brothers,  though  since  the  death  of  my  master  she  had 
greatly  meliorated  my  condition  by  giving  me  frequent 
allowances  of  meat  and  other  necessaries.  I  believe 
she  entertained  some  vague  apprehensions  that  I  might 


308  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  w, 

run  away,  and  betake  myself  to  the  woods  for  a  living, 
but  I  do  not  think  she  ever  suspected  that  I  would 
hazard  the  untried  undertaking  of  attempting  to  make 
my  way  back  to  Maryland.  My  purpose  was  fixed, 
and  now  nothing  could  shake  it.  I  only  waited  for  a 
proper  season  of  the  year  to  commence  my  toilsome 
and  dangerous  journey.  As  I  must  of  necessity  pro 
cure  my  own  subsistence  on  my  march,  it  behoved  me 
to  pay  regard  to  the  time  at  which  I  took  it  up. 

I  furnished  myself  with  a  fire-box,  as  it  is  called, 
that  is,  a  tin  case  containing  flints,  steel  and  tinder — 
this  I  considered  indispensable.  I  took  the  great  coat 
that  my  master  had  given  me,  and  with  a  coarse 
needle  and  thread  quilted  a  scabbard  of  old  cloth  in 
one  side  of  it,  in  which  I  could  put  my  sword  and 
carry  it  with  safety.  I  also  procured  a  small  bag  of 
linen  that  held  more  than  a  peck.  This  bag  I  filled 
with  the  meal  of  parched  corn,  grinding  the  corn  after 
it  was  parched  in  the  woods  where  I  worked  at  the 
mill  at  night.  These  operations,  except  the  grinding 
of  the  corn,  I  carried  on  in  a  small  conical  cabin  that 
I  had  built  in  the  woods.  The  boots  that  my  master 
gave  me,  I  had  repaired  by  a  Spaniard  who  lived  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  followed  the  business  of  a 
cobbler.  <• 

Before  the  first  of  August  I  had  all  my  preparations 
completed,  and  had  matured  them  with  so  much 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          309 

secrecy,  that  no  one  in  the  country,  white  or  black, 
suspected  me  of  entertaining  any  extraordinary  design. 
I  only  waited  for  the  corn  to  be  ripe,  and  fit  to  be 
Coasted,  which  time  I  had  fixed  as  the  period  of  my 
leparture.  I  watched  the  progress  of  the  corn  daily,  and 
on  the  eighth  of  August  I  perceived,  on  examining 
my  mistress'  field,  that  nearly  half  of  the  ears  were  so 
far  grown,  that  by  roasting  them,  a  man  could  easily 
subsist  himself ;  and  as  I  knew  that  this  corn  had 
been  planted  later  than  the  most  of  the  corn  in  the 
country,  I  resolved  to  take  leave  of  the  plantation  and 
its  tenants,  for  ever,  on  the  next  day. 

I  had  a  faithful  dog,  called  Trueman,  and  this  poor 
animal  had  been  my  constant  companion  for  more  than 
four  years,  without  ever  showing  cowardice  or  infidelity, 
but  once,  and  that  was  when  the  panther  followed  us 
from  the  woods.  I  was  accordingly  anxious  to  bring 
my  dog  with  me  ;  but  as  I  knew  the  success  of  my 
undertaking  depended  on  secrecy  and  silence,  I  thought 
it  safest  to  abandon  my  last  friend,  and  engage  in  my 
perilous  enterprise  alone.  On  the  morning  of  the  ninth 
I  went  to  work  as  usual,  carrying  my  dinner  with  me, 
and  worked  diligently  at  grubbing  until  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  day.  I  now  sat  down  and  took  my  last 
dinner  as  the  slave  of  my  mistress,  dividing  the  con 
tents  of  my  basket  with  my  dog.  After  I  had  finished 
I  tied  my  dog  with  a  rope  to  a  small  tree  ;  I  set  my 


310  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


gun  against  it,  for  I  thought  I  should  be  better  with 
out  the  gun  than  with  it ;  tied  my  knapsack  with  my 
bag  of  meal  on  my  shoulders,  and  then  turned  to  take 
a  last  farewell  of  my  poor  dog,  that  stood  by  the  tree 
to  which  he  was  bound,  looking  wistfully  at  me.  When 
I  approached  him,  he  licked  my  hands,  and  then  rising 
on  his  hind  feet  and  placing  his  fore  paws  on  my  breast, 
he  uttered  a  long  howl,  which  thrilled  through  my 
heart,  as  if  he  had  said,  "  My  master,  do  not  leave  me 
behind  you." 

I  now  took  to  the  forest,  keeping,  as  nearly  as  I 
could,  a  North  course  all  the  afternoon.  Night  over 
took  me  before  I  reached  any  watercourse,  or  any  other 
object  worthy  of  being  noticed  ;  and  I  lay  down  and 
slept  soundly,  without  kindling  a  fire  or  eating  any 
thing.  I  was  awake  before  day,  and  as  soon  as  there 
was  light  enough  to  enable  me  to  see  my  way,  I  re 
sumed  my  journey  and  walked  on,  until  about  eight 
o'clock,  when  I  came  to  a  river,  which  I  knew  must 
be  the  Appalachie.  I  sat  down  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  opened  my  bag  of  meal,  and  made  my  breakfast 
of  a  part  of  its  contents.  I  used  my  meal  very  spar 
ingly,  it  being  the  most  valuable  treasure  that  I  now 
possessed  ;  though  I  had  in  my  pocket  three  Spanish 
dollars  ;  but  in  my  situation,  this  money  could  not 
avail  me  any  thing,  as  I  was  resolved  not  to  show  my 
self  to  any  person,  either  white  or  black.  After  taking 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  311 

my  breakfast,  I  prepared  to  cross  the  river,  which  was 
here  about  a  hundred  yards  wide,  with  a  sluggish  and 
deep  current.  The  morning  was  sultry,  and  the  thickets 
along  the  margin  of  the  river  teemed  with  insects  and 
reptiles.  By  sounding  the  river  with  a  pole,  I  found 
the  stream  too  deep  to  be  waded,  and  I  therefore  pre 
pared  to  swim  it.  For  this  purpose  I  stripped  myself, 
and  bound  my  clothes  on  the  top  of  my  knapsack,  and 
my  bag  of  meal  on  the  top  of  my  clothes  ;  then  draw 
ing  my  knapsack  close  up  to  my  head.  I  threw  myself 
into  the  river.  In  my  youth  I  had  learned  to  swim  in 
the  Patuxent,  and  have  seldom  met  with  any  person 
who  was  more  at  ease  in  deep  water  than  myself.  I 
kept  a  straight  line  from  the  place  of  my  entrance  into 
the  Appalachie,  to  the  opposite  side,  and  when  I  had 
reached  it,  stepped  on  the  margin  of  the  land,  and 
turned  round  to  view  the  place  from  which  I  had  set 
out  on  my  aquatic  passage  ;  but  my  eye  was  arrested 
by  an  object  nearer  to  me  than  the  opposite  shore. 
Within  twenty  feet  of  me,  in  the  very  line  that  I  had 
pursued  in  crossing  the  river,  a  large  alligator  was 
moving  in  full  pursuit  of  me,  with  his  nose  just  above 
the  surface,  in  the  position  that  creature  takes  when 
he  gives  chase  to  his  intended  prey  in  the  water.  The 
alligator  can  swim  more  than  twice  as  fast  as  a 

o 

man,  for  he  can  overtake  young  ducks  on  the  water  ; 
and  had  I  been  ten  seconds  longer  in  the  river,  I  should 


312  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

have  been  dragged  to  the  bottom,  and  never  again  been 
heard  of. 

Seeing  that  I  had  gained  the  shore,  my  pursuer 
turned,  made  two  or  three  circles  in  the  water  close  by 
me,  and  then  disappeared. 

I  received  this  admonition  as  a  warning  of  the  dan 
gers  that  I  must  encounter  in  my  journey  to  the  North. 
After  adjusting  my  clothes,  I  again  took  to  the  woods, 
and  bore  a  little  to  the  east  of  north  ;  it  now  being 
my  determination  to  turn  down  the  country,  so  as  to 
gain  the  line  of  the  roads  by  which  I  had  come  to  the 
South.  I  traveled  all  day  in  the  woods  ;  but  a  short 
time  before  sundown,  came  within  view  of  an  opening 
in  the  forest,  which  I  took  to  be  cleared  fields,  but 
upon  a  closer  examination,  finding  no  fences  or  other 
enclosures  around  it,  I  advanced  into  it  and  found  it  to 
be  an  open  savannah,  with  a  small  stream  of  water 
creeping  slowly  through  it.  At  the  lower  side  of  the 
open  space  were  the  remains  of  an  old  beaver  dam, 
the  central  part  of  which  had  been  broken  away  by  the 
current  of  the  stream  at  the  time  of  some  flood.  Around 
the  margin  of  this  former  pond,  I  observed  several  de 
cayed  beaver  lodges,  and  numerous  stumps  of  small 
trees,  that  had  been  cut  down  for  the  food  or  fortifica 
tions  of  this  industrious  little  nation,  which  had  fled 
at  the  approach  of  the  white  man,  and  all  its  people 
were  now,  like  me,  seeking  refuge  in  the  deepest  soli- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          313 

tudes  of  the  forest,  from  the  glance  cf  every  human 
eye.  As  it  was  growing  late,  and  I  believed  I  must 
now  be  near  the  settlements,  I  determined  to  encamp 
for  the  night,  beside  this  old  beaver  dam.  I  again 
took  my  supper  from  my  bag  of  meal,  and  made  my 
bed  for  the  night  amongst  the  canes  that  grew  in  the 
place.  This  night  I  slept  but  little  ;  for  it  seemed  as 
if  all  the  owls  in  the  country  had  assembled  in  my 
neighborhood  to  perform  a  grand  musical  concert. — 
Their  hooting  and  chattering  commenced  soon  after 
dark,  and  continued  until  the  dawn  of  day.  In  all 
parts  of  the  southern  country,  the  owls  are  very  numer 
ous,  especially  along  the  margins  of  streams,  and  in 
*,he  low  grounds  with  which  the  waters  are  universally 
bordered  ;  but  since  I  had  been  in  the  country,  al 
though  I  had  passed  many  nights  in  the  woods  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  I  had  never  before  heard  so  clam 
orous  and  deafening  a  chorus  of  nocturnal  music. — 
With  the  coming  of  the  morning  I  arose  from  my 
couch,  and  proceeded  warily  along  the  woods,  keeping 
a  continual  lookout  for  plantations,  and  listening  at 
tentively  to  every  noise  that  I  heard  in  the  trees,  or 
amongst  the  canebrakes.  When  the  sun  had  been  up 
two  or  three  hours,  I  saw  an  appearance  of  blue  sky 
a*,  a  distance  through  the  trees,  which  proved  that  the 
forest  nad  been  removed  from  a  spot  somewhere  before 

uie,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  me  ;  and,  as  I  cau- 

14 
I 


314  Fifty   Years  in  Cliains  ;  o?, 

tiously  advanced,  I  heard  the  voices  of  people  in  loud 
conversation.  Sitting  down  amongst  the  palmetto 
plants,  that  grew  around  me  in  great  numbers,  I  soon 
perceived  that  the  people  whose  conversation  I  heard, 
were  coming  nearer  to  me.  I  now  heard  the  sound  of 
horses'  feet,  and  immediately  afterwards  saw  two  men 
on  horseback,  with  rifles  on  their  shoulders,  riding 
through  the  woods,  and  moving  on  a  line  that  led  them 
past  me,  at  a  distance  of  about  fifty  or  sixty  yards. — 
Perceiving  that  these  men  were  equipped  as  hunters, 
I  remained  almost  breathless  for  the  purpose  of  hear 
ing  their  conversation.  When  they  came  so  near  that 
I  could  distinguish  their  words,  they  \vere  talking  of 
the  best  place  to  take  a  stand  for  the  purpose  of  seeing 
the  deer ;  from  which  I  inferred  that  they  had  sent 
men  to  some  other  point,  for  the  purpose  of  rousing 
the  deer  with  dogs.  After  they  had  passed  that  point 
of  their  way  that  was  nearest  to  me,  and  were  begin 
ning  to  recede  from  me,  one  of  them  asked  the  other 
if  he  had  heard  that  a  negro  had  run  away  the  day 
before  yesterday,  in  Morgan  county ;  to  which  his 
companion  answered  in  the  negative.  The  first  then 
said  he  had  seen  an  advertisement  at  the  store,  which 
offered  a  hundred  dollars  reward  for  the  runaway, 
whose  name  was  Charles. 

The  conversation  of  these  horsemen  was  now  inter 
rupted  by  the  cry  of  hounds,  at  a  distance  in  the  woods, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  313 

and  heightening  the  speed  of  their  horses,  they  were 
soon  out  of  my  sight  and  hearing. 

Information  of  the  state  of  the  countiy  through 
which  I  was  traveling,  was  of  the  highest  value  to  me  ; 
and  nothing  could  more  nearly  interest  me  than  a 
knowledge  of  the  fact,  that  my  flight  was  known  to 
the  white  people,  who  resided  round  about  and  before 
me.  It  was  now  necessary  for  me  to  become  doubly 
vigilant,  and  to  concert  with  myself  measures  of  the 
highest  moment. 

The  first  resolution  that  I  took  was,  that  I  would 
travel  no  more  in  the  day-time.  This  was  the  season 
of  hunting  deer,  and  knowing  that  the  hunters  were 
under  the  necessity  of  being  as  silent  as  possible  in 
the  woods,  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  they  would  be  at 
least  as  likely  to  discover  me  in  the  forest,  before  I 
could  see  them,  as  I  should  be  to  see  them,  before  I 
myself  could  be  seen. 

I  was  now  very  hungry,  but  exceedingly  loath  to 
make  any  further  breaches  on  my  bag  of  meal,  except 
in  extreme  necessity.  Feeling  confident  that  there 
was  a  plantation  within  a  few  rods  of  me,  I  was  anxi 
ous  to  have  a  view  of  it,  in  hope  that  I  might  find  a 
corn-field  upon  it,  from  which  I  could  obtain  a  supply 
of  roasting  ears.  Fearful  to  stand  upright,  I  crept 
along  through  the  low  ground,  where  I  then  was,  at 
times  raising  myself  to  my  knees,  for  the  purpose  of 


316  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


obtaining  a  better  view  of  things  about  me.  In  this 
way  I  advanced  until  I  came  in  view  of  a  high  fence, 
and  beyond  this  saw  cotton,  tall  and  nourishing,  but 
no  sign  of  corn.  I  crept  up  close  to  the  fence,  where 
I  found  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree,  that  had  been  felled 
in  clearing  the  field.  Standing  upon  this,  and  look 
ing  over  the  plantation,  I  saw  the  tassels  of  corn,  at 
the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  growing  in  a  field  which 
was  bordered  on  one  side  by  the  wood,  in  which  I 
stood. 

It  was  now  nine  or  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
as  I  had  slept  but  little  the  night  before,  I  crept  into 
the  bushes,  great  numbers  of  which  grew  in  and  about 
the  top  of  the  fallen  tree,  and,  hungry  as  I  was,  fell 
asleep.  When  I  awoke,  it  appeared  to  me  from  the 
position  of  the  sun,  which  I  had  carefully  noted  be 
fore  I  lay  down,  to  be  about  one  or  two  o'clock.  As 
this  was  the  time  of  the  day  when  the  heat  is  most 
oppressive,  and  when  every  one  was  most  likely  to  be 
absent  from  the  forest,  I  again  moved,  and  taking  a 
circuitous  route  at  some  distance  from  the  fields, 
reached  the  fence  opposite  the  corn-field,  without 
having  met  anything  to  alarm  me.  Having  cautiously 
examined  everything  around  me,  as  well  by  the  eye  as 
by  the  ear,  and  finding  all  quiet,  I  ventured  to  cross 
the  fence  and  pluck  from  the  standing  stalks  about  a 
dozen  sood  ears  of  corn,  with  which  I  stole  back  to 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          317 

the  thicket  in  safety.  This  com  was  of  no  use  to  me 
without  fire  to  roast  it ;  and  it  was  equally  dangerous 
to  kindle  fire  by  night  as  by  day,  the  light  at  one  time 
and  the  smoke  at  another,  might  betray  me  to  those 
who  I  knew  were  ever  ready  to  pursue  and  arrest  me. 
"  Hunger  eats  through  stone  walls,"  says  the  proverb, 
and  an  empty  stomach  is  a  petitioner,  whose  solicita 
tions  camiot  be  refused,  if  there  is  anything  to  satisfy 
them  with. 

Having  regained  the  woods  in  safety,  I  ventured  to 
go  as  far  as  the  side  of  a  swamp,  which  I  knew  to  be 
at  the  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  by  the 
appearance  of  the  timber.  When  in  the  swamp,  I 
felt  pretty  secure,  but  determined  that  I  would  nevei 
again  attempt  to  travel  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  plan 
tation  in  the  daytime. 

When  in  the  swamp  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  I  collected 
Borne  dry  wood  and  lighted  it  with  the  aid  of  my 
tinder-box,  flint,  and  steel.  This  was  the  first  fire 
that  I  kindled  on  my  journey,  and  I  was  careful  to 
burn  none  but  dry  wood,  to  prevent  the  formation  of 
smoke.  Here  I  roasted,  my  corn,  and  ate  as  much  of 
it  as  I  could.  After  my  dinner  I  lay  down  and  slept 
for  three  or  four  hours.  When  I  awoke,  the  sun  was 
scarcely  visible  through  the  tree- tops.  It  was  even 
ing,  and  prudence  required  me  to  leave  the  swamp 
before  dark,  lest  I  shou  .d  not  be  able  to  find  my  way  out. 


318  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

Approaching  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  I  watched  the 
going  down  of  the  sun,  and  noted  the  stars  as  they 
appeared  in  the  heavens.  I  had  long  since  learned  to 
distinguish  the  north-star  from  all  the  other  small 
luminaries  of  the  night  ;  and  the  seven  pointers  were 
familiar  to  me.  These  heavenly  bodies  were  all  the 
guides  I  had  to  direct  me  on  my  way,  and  as  soon  as 
the  night  had  set  in,  I  commenced  my  march  through 
the  woods,  bearing  as  nearly  due  east  as  I  could. 

I  took  this  course  for  the  purpose  of  getting  down 
the  country  as  far  as  the  road  leading  from  Augusta 
lo  Morgan  County,  with  the  intention  of  pursuing  the 
route  by  which  I  had  come  out  from  South  Carolina  ; 
deeming  it  more  safe  to  travel  the  high  road  by  night, 
than  to  attempt  to  make  my  way  at  random  over  the 
country,  guided  only  by  the  stars.  I  traveled  all 
night,  keeping  the  north-star  on  my  left  hand  as 
nearly  as  I  could,  and  passing  many  plantations,  tak 
ing  care  to  keep  at  a  great  distance  from  the  houses. 
I  think  I  traveled  at  least  twenty-five  miles  to-night, 
without  passing  any  road  that  appeared  so  wide,  or 
so  much  beaten  as  that  which  I  had  traveled  when  I 
came  from  South  Carolina.  This  night  I  passed 
through  a  peach  orchard,  laden  with  fine  ripe  fruit, 
with  which  I  filled  my  pockets  and  hat  ;  and  before 
day,  in  crossing  a  corn-field,  I  pulled  a  supply  of 

Casting-ears,  with  which  and  my  peaches,  I  retired 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          319 

at  break  of  day  to  a  large  wood,  into  which  I  traveled 
more  than  a  mile  before  I  halted.  Here,  in  the  midst 
of  a  thicket  of  high  whortleberry  bushes,  I  encamped  for 
the  day.  I  made  my  breakfast  upon  roasted  corn  and 
peaches,  and  then  lay  down  and  slept,  unmolested, 
until  after  twelve  o'clock,  when  I  awoke  and  rose  up 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  a  better  view  of  my  quarters  ; 
but  I  was  scarcely  on  my  feet,  when  I  was  attacked 
by  a  swarm  of  hornets,  that  issued  from  a  large  nest 
that  hung  on  the  limb  of  a  tree,  within  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  of  me. 

I  knew  that  the  best  means  of  making  peace  with 
my  hostile  neighbors,  was  to  lie  down  with  my  face  to 
the  ground,  and  this  attitude  I  quickly  took,  not 
however  before  I  had  been  stung  by  several  of  my 
assailants,  which  kept  humming  through  the  air  about 
me  for  a  long  time,  and  prevented  me  from  leaving 
this  spot  until  after  sundown,  and  after  they  had  re 
tired  to  rest  for  the  night.  I  now  commenced  the 
attack  on  my  part,  and  taking  a  handful  of  dry  leaves, 
approached  the  nest,  which  was  full  as  large  as  a  half 
bushel,  and  thrusting  the  leaves  into  the  hole  at  the 
bottom  of  the  nest,  through  which  its  tenants  passed 
in  and  out,  secured  the  whole  garrison  prisoners  in 
their  own  citadel.  I  now  cut  off  the  branch  upon 
which  the  nest  hung,  and  threw  it  with  its  contents 
into  my  evening  fire,  over  which  I  roasted  a  supply  of 
corn  for  my  night's  journey. 


320  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

Commencing  my  march  this  evening  soon  after  night 
fall,  I  traveled  until  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
as  nearly  as  I  could  estimate  the  time  by  the  appear 
ance  of  the  stars,  when  I  came  upon  a  road  which, 
from  its  width  and  beaten  appearance,  seemed  to  be 
the  road  to  Morgan  County.  After  traveling  for  a  day 
or  two  near  this  road,  I  at  last  found  myself  at  day 
break  one  morning  in  sight  of  the  home  of  my  late 
master's  friend,  spoken  of  in  our  journey  to  Savannah. 
I  was  desperately  hungry,  and  the  idea  swayed  me  to 
throw  myself  upon  his  generosity  and  beg  for  food. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  this  gentleman  was  too  bene 
volent  a  man  to  arrest  and  send  me  back  to  my  cruel 
mistress  ;  and  yet  how  could  I  expect,  or  even  hope, 
that  a  cotton  planter  would  see  a  runaway  slave  on  his 
premises,  and  not  cause  him  to  be  taken  up  and  sent 
home  ?  Failing  to  seize  a  runaway  slave,  when  he  has 
him  in  his  power,  is  held  to  be  one  of  the  most  dis 
honorable  acts  to  which  a  southern  planter  can  subject 
himself.  Nor  should  the  people  of  the  North  be  sur 
prised  at  this.  Slaves  are  regarded,  in  the  South,  as 
the  most  precious  of  all  earthly  possessions  ;  and,  at 
the  same  time,  as  a  precarious  and  hazardous  kind  of 
property,  in  the  enjoyment  of  which  the  master  is  not 
safe.  The  planters  may  well  be  compared  to  the  in 
habitants  of  a  national  frontier,  which  is  exposed  to 
the  inroads  of  hostile  invading  tribes.  Where  all  are 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  321 

in  like  danger,  and  subject  to  like  fears,  it  is  expected 
that  all  will  be  governed  by  like  sentiments,  and  act 
upon  like  principles. 

I  stood  and  looked  at  the  house  of  this  good  planter 
for  more  than  an  hour  after  the  sun  had  risen,  and 
saw  all  the  movements  which  usually  take  place  on  a 
cotton  plantation  in  the  morning.  Long  before  the 
sun  was  up,  the  overseer  had  proceeded  to  the  field  at 
the  head  of  the  hands  ;  the  black  women  who  attended 
to  the  cattle,  and  milked  the  cows,  had  gone  to  the 
cowpen  with  their  pails  ;  and  the  smoke  ascended  from 
the  chimney  of  the  kitchen,  before  the  doors  of  the 
great  house  were  opened,  or  any  of  the  members  of  the 
family  were  seen  abroad.  At  length  two  young  ladies 
opened  the  door,  and  stood  in  the  freshness  of  the 
morning  air.  These  were  soon  joined  by  a  brother  ; 
and  at  last  I  saw  the  gentleman  himself  leave  the 
house  and  walk  towards  the  stables,  that  stood  at  some 
distance  from  the  house  on  my  left.  I  think  even  now 
that  it  was  a  foolish  resolution  that  emboldened  me  to 
show  myself  to  this  gentleman.  It  was  like  throwing 
one's  self  in  the  way  of  a  lion  who  is  known  sometimes 
to  spare  those  whom  he  might  destroy  ;  but  I  resolved 
to  go  and  meet  this  planter  at  his  stables,  and  tell  him 
my  whole  story.  Issuing  from  the  woods,  I  crossed 
the  fields  unperceived  by  the  people  at  the  house,  and 

going  directly  to  the  stab  .es,  presented  myself  to  their 

14* 


322  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

proprietor,  as  he  stood  looking  at  a  fine  horse  in  one 
of  the  yards.  At  first  he  did  not  know  me,  and  asked 
me  whose  man  I  was.  I  then  asked  him  if  he  did  not 
remember  me  ;  and  named  the  time  when  I  had  been 
at  his  house.  I  then  told  at  once  that  I  was  a  run 
away  :  that  my  master  was  dead,  and  my  mistress  so 
cruel  that  I  could  not  live  with  her  :  not  omitting  to 
show  the  scars  on  my  back,  and  to  give  a  full  account 
of  the  manner  in  which  they  had  been  made.  The 
gentleman  stood  and  looked  at  me  more  than  a  min 
ute,  without  uttering  a  word,  and  then  said,  "  I  will 
not  betray  you,  but  you  must  not  stay  here.  It  must 
not  be  known  that  you  were  on  this  plantation,  and 
that  I  saw  and  conversed  with  you.  However,  as  I 
suppose  you  are  hungry,  you  may  go  to  the  kitchen 
and  get  your  breakfast  with  my  house  servants." 

He  then  set  off  for  the  house,  and  I  followed,  but 
turning  into  the  kitchen,  as  he  ordered  me,  I  was  soon 
supplied  with  a  good  breakfast  of  cold  meat,  warm 
bread,  and  as  much  new  buttermilk  as  I  chose  to  drink. 
Before  I  sat  down  to  breakfast,  the  lady  of  the  house 
came  into  the  kitchen,  with  her  two  daughters,  and 
gave  me  a  dram  of  peach  brandy.  I  drank  this  brandy, 
and  was  very  thankful  for  it ;  but  I  am  fully  convinced 
now  that  it  did  me  much  more  harm  than  good  ;  and 
that  this  part  of  the  kindness  of  this  most  excellent 
family  was  altogether  misplaced. 


TJie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  323 

Whilst  I  was  taking  my  breakfast,  a  black  man 
came  into  the  kitchen,  and  gave  me  a  dollar  that  he 
said  his  master  had  sent  me,  at  the  same  time  laying 
on  the  table  before  me  a  package  of  bread  and  meat, 
weighing  at  least  ten  pounds,  wrapped  up  in  a  cloth. 
On  delivering  these  things,  the  black  man  told  me  that 
his  master  desired  me  to  quit  his  premises  as  soon  as 
I  had  finished  my  breakfast. 

This  injunction  I  obeyed,  and  within  less  than  an 
hour  after  I  entered  this  truly  hospitable  house,  I 
quitted  it  forever,  but  not  without  leaving  behind  me 
my  holiest  blessings  upon  the  heads  of  its  inhabitants. 
It  was  yet  early  in  the  morning  when  I  regained  the 
woods  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  plantation  from  that 
by  which  I  had  entered  it. 


324  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

• 

I  could  not  believe  it  possible  that  the  white  people 
whom  I  had  just  left,  would  give  information  of  the 
route  I  had  taken  ;  but  as  it  was  possible  that  all  who 
dwelt  on  this  plantation  might  not  be  so  pure  of  heart 
as  were  they  who  possessed  it,  I  thought  it  prudent  to 
travel  some  distance  in  the  woods,  before  I  stopped  for 
the  day,  notwithstanding  the  risk  of  moving  about  in 
the  open  light.  For  the  purpose  of  precluding  the 
possibility  of  being  betrayed,  I  now  determined  to  quit 
this  road,  and  travel  altogether  in  the  woods  or  through 
open  fields,  for  two  or  three  nights,  guiding  my  march 
by  the  stars.  In  pursuance  of  this  resolution,  I  bore 
away  to  the  left  of  the  high  road,  and  traveled  five  or 
six  miles  before  I  stopped,  going  round  all  the  fields 
that  I  saw  in  my  way,  and  keeping  them  at  a  good 
distance  from  me. 

In  the  afternoon  of  this  day  it  rained,  and  I  had  no 
other  shelter  than  the  boughs  and  leaves  of  a  large 
magnolia  tree  ;  but  this  kept  me  tolerably  dry,  and  as 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  325 

it  cleared  away  in  the  evening,  I  was  able  to  continue 
my  journey  by  starlight.  I  have  no  definite  idea  of 
the  distance  that  I  traveled  in  the  course  of  this  arid 
the  two  succeeding  nights,  as  I  had  no  road  to  guide 
me,  and  was  much  perplexed  by  the  plantations  and 
houses,  the  latter  of  which  I  most  carefully  eschewed  ; 
but  on  the  third  night  after  this  I  encountered  a  dan 
ger,  which  was  very  nearly  fatal  to  me. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  now  speak,  the  moon  having 
changed  lately,  shone  until  about  eleven  o'clock.  I 
had  been  on  my  way  two  or  three  hours  this  evening, 
and  all  the  world  seemed  to  be  quiet,  when  I  entered 
a  plantation  that  lay  quite  across  my  way.  In  passing 
through  these  fields,  I  at  last  saw  the  houses,  and 
other  improvements,  and  about  a  hundred  yards  from 
the  house,  a  peach  orchard,  which  I  could  distinguish 
by  the  faint  light  of  the  moon.  This  orchard  was  but 
little  out  of  my  way,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  as  nearly 
as  I  could  judge,  from  the  woods.  I  resolved  to  ex 
amine  these  peach  trees,  and  see  what  fruit  was  on 
them.  Coming  amongst  them,  I  found  the  fruit  of 
the  kind  called  Indian  peaches  in  Georgia. 

These  Indian  peaches  are  much  the  largest  and  finest 
peaches  that  I  have  ever  seen,  one  of  them  oftentimes 
being  as  large  as  a  common  quince.  I  had  filled  all 
my  pockets,  and  was  filling  my  handkerchief  with  this 
delicious  fruit,  which  is  of  deep  red,  when  I  heard  the 


326  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

loud  growl  of  a  dog  toward  the  house,  the  roof  of  which 
I  could  see.  I  stood  as  still  as  a  stone,  but  yet  the 
dog  growled  on;  and  at  length  barked  out.  I  presume 
he  smelled  me,  for  he  could  not  hear  me.  In  a  short 
time  I  found  that  the  dog  was  coming  towards  me,  and 
I  then  started  and  ran  as  fast  as  I  could  for  the  woods. 
He  now  barked  louder,  and  was  followed  by  another 
dog,  both  making  a  terrible  noise.  I  was  then  pretty 
light  of  foot,  and  was  already  close  by  the  woods 
when  the  first  dog  overtook  me.  I  carried  a  good  stick 
in  my  hand,  and  with  this  I  kept  the  dogs  at  bay, 
until  I  gained  the  fence  and  escaped  into  the  woods  ; 
but  now  I  heard  the  shouts  of  men  encouraging  the 
dogs,  both  of  which  were  now  up  with  me,  and  the 
men  were  coming  as  fast  as  they  could.  The  dogs 
would  not  permit  me  to  run,  and  unless  I  could  make 
free  use  of  my  heels,  it  was  clear  that  I  must  be  taken 
in  a  few  minutes.  I  now  thought  of  my  master's 
sword,  which  I  had  not  removed  from  its  quilted  scab 
bard,  in  my  great  coat,  since  I  commenced  my  journey. 
I  snatched  it  from  its  sheath,  and  at  a  single  cut  laid 
openjthe  head  of  the  largest  and  fiercest  of  the  dogs, 
from  his  neck  to  his  nose.  He  gave  a  loud  yell  and 
fell  dead  on  the  ground.  The  other  dog,  seeing  the 
fate  of  his  companion,  leaped  the  fence,  and  escaped 
into  the  field,  where  he  stopped,  and  like  a  cowardly 
cur,  set  up  a  clamorous  barking  at  the  enemy  he  was 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          327 

t.1' MO.  U'  ,>7k  in  the  face.  I  thought  this  no  time  to 
wait  to  Puo-.vtain  what  the  men  would  say  when  they 
came  to  their  dead  dog,  but  made  the  best  of  my  way 
through  the  xoods,  and  did  not  stop  to  look  behind 
me  for  more  than  an  hour.  In  my  battle  with  the 
dogs,  I  lost  all  iny  peaches,  except  a  few  that  remain 
ed  in  my  pockets  ]  and  in  running  through  the  woods 
I  tore  my  clothes  very  badly,  a  disaster  not  easily  re 
paired  in  my  situation  ;  but  I  had  proved  the  solidity 
of  my  own  judgment  in  putting  up  my  sword  as  a  part 
of  my  traveling  equipage. 

I  now  considered  it  necessary  to  travel  as  fast  as 
possible,  and  get  as  far  as  I  could  before  day  from  the 
late  battle-ground,  and  certainly  I  lost  no  time  ;  but 
from  the  occurrences  of  the  next  day,  I  am  of  opinion 
that  I  had  not  continue!  in  a  straight  line  all  night, 
but  that  I  must  have  traveled  in  a  circular  or  zigzag 
route.  When  a  man  is  greatly  alarmed,  and  in  a 
strange  country,  he  is  not  able  to  note  courses,  or  cal 
culate  distances  veiy  accurately. 

Daylight  made  its  appearance,  when  I  was  moving 
to  the  South,  for  the  daybreak  was  on  my  left  hand  ; 
but  I  immediately  stopped,  went  into  a  thicket  of  low 
white  oak  bushes,  and  lay  down  to  rest  myself,  for  I 
was  very  weary,  and  soon  fell  asleep,  and  did  not 
awake  until  it  was  ten  or  eleven  o'clock.  Before  I  fell 
asleep,  I  noted  the  course  of  the  rising  sun,  from  the 


328  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

place  where  I  lay,  in  pursuance  of  a  rule  that  I  had 
established  ;  fbi  by  this  means  I  could  tell  the  time 
of  day  at  any  ho  ir,  within  a  short  period  of  time,  b;y 
taking  the  bearing  of  the  sun  in  the  hca^ena.  from 
where  I  lay,  and  then  comparing  it  with  r-lip  place  of 
his  rising. 

When  I  awoke  to-day,  I  felt  hungr>  ,  /,nd  after  eat 
ing  my  breakfast,  again  lay  down,  but  felt  an  unusual 
sense  of  disquietude  and  alarm.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  this  was  not  a  safe  place  to  lie  in,  although  it 
looked  as  well  as  any  other  spot  that  I  could  see.  I 
rose  and  looked  for  a  more  secure  retreat,  but  not  see 
ing  any,  lay  down  again — still  I  was  uneasy,  and  could 
not  lie  still.  Finally  I  determined  to  get  up,  and  re 
move  to  the  side  of  a  large  and  long  black  log,  that 
lay  at  the  distance  of  seventy  or  eighty  yards  from 
me.  I  went  to  the  log  and  lay  down  by  it,  placing 
my  bundle  under  my  head,  with  the  intention  of  going 
to  sleep  again,  if  I  could  ;  but  I  had  not  been  here 
more  than  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  when  I  heard 
the  noise  of  men's  voices,  and  soon  after  the  tramping 
of  horses  on  the  ground.  I  lay  with  my  back  to  the 
log  in  such  a  position,  that  I  could  see  the  place  where 
I  had  been  in  the  bushes.  I  saw  two  dogs  go  into 
this  little  thicket,  and  three  horsemen  rode  over  the 
very  spot  where  I  had  lain  when  asleep  in  the  morning 
and  immediately  horses  and  voices  were  at  my  back 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  329 

around  me,  and  over  me.  Two  horses  jumped  over 
the  log  by  the  side  of  which  I  lay,  one  about  ten  feel 
from  my  feet,  and  the  other  within  two  yards  from  m^ 
head.  The  horses  both  saw  me,  took  fright,  and  start 
ed  to  run  ;  but  fortunately  their  riders,  who  were  pro 
bably  looking  for  me  in  the  tops  of  the  trees,  or  ex 
pecting  to  see  me  start  before  them  in  the  woods,  and 
run  for  my  life,  did  not  see  me,  and  attributed  the 
alarm  of  their  horses  to  the  black  appearance  of  the 
log,  for  I  heard  one  of  them  say — "  Our  horses  are 
afraid  of  black  logs  :  I  wonder  how  they  would  stand 
the  sight  of  the  negro  if  we  should  meet  him." 

There  must  have  been  in  the  troop  at  least  twenty 
horsemen,  and  the  number  of  dogs  was  greater  than  I 
could  count  as  they  ran  in  the  woods.  I  knew  that 
all  these  men  and  dogs  were  in  search  of  me,  and  that 
if  they  could  find  me  I  should  be  hunted  down  like  a 
wild  beast.  The  dogs  that  had  gone  into  the  thicket 
where  I  had  been,  fortunately  for  me  had  not  been 
trained  to  hunt  negroes  in  the  woods,  and  were  proba 
bly  brought  out  for  the  purpose  of  being  trained. — 
Doubtless  if  some  of  the  kept  dogs,  as  they  are  called 
of  which  there  were  certainly  several  in  this  large  pack 
had  happened  to  go  into  that  thicket,  instead  of  thos* 
that  did  go  there,  my  race  would  soon  have  been  run. 

I  lay  still  by  the  side  of  the  log  for  a  long  time  after 
the  horses,  dogs  and  men  had  ceased  to  trouble  the 


330  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


woods  with  their  noise  ;  if  it  can  be  said  that  a  man 
lies  still  who  is  trembling  in  every  joint,  nerve  and 
muscle,  like  a  dog  lying  upon  a  cake  of  ice  ;  arid  when 
I  arose  and  turned  round,  I  found  myself  so  completely 
bereft  of  understanding,  that  I  could  not  tell  South 
from  North,  nor  East  from  West.  I  could  not  even 
distinguish  the  thicket  of  bushes,  from  which  I  had 
removed  to  come  to  this  place,  from  the  other  bushes 
of  the  woods.  I  remained  here  all  day,  and  at  night 
it  appeared  to  me  that  the  sun  set  in  the  south-east 
After  sundown,  the  moon  appeared  to  rny  distempered 
judgment  to  stand  due  North  from  me,  and  all  the 
stars  were  out  of  their  places.  Fortunately  I  had 
sense  enough  remaining  to  know  that  it  would  not  be 
safe  for  me  to  attempt  to  travel,  until  my  brain  had 
been  restored  to  its  ordinary  stability  ;  which  did  not 
take  place  until  the  third  morning  after  my  fright. 
The  three  days  that  I  passed  in  this  place  I  reckon 
the  most  unhappy  of  my  life  ;  for  surely  it  is  the 
height  of  human  misery  to  be  oppressed  with  aliena 
tion  of  mind,  and-  to  be  conscious  of  the  affliction. 

Distracted  as  I  was,  I  had  determined  never  to  quit 
this  wood,  and  voluntarily  return  to  slavery  ;  and  the 
joy  I  felt  on  the  third  morning,  when  I  saw  the  sun 
rise  in  his  proper  place  in  the  heavens  ;  the  black  log, 
the  thicket  of  bushes,  and  all  other  things  resume  the 
positions  in  which  I  found  them,  may  be  imagined  by 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  331 

those  who  have  been  saved  from  apparently  hopeless 
shipwreck  on  a  barren  rock  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean, 
but  cannot  be  described  by  any  but  a  poetic  pen. 

I  spent  this  day  in  making  short  excursions  through 
the  woods,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  any 
road  was  near  to  me  or  not  ;  and  in  the  afternoon  I 
came  to  one,  about  a  mile  from  my  camp,  which  was 
broad,  and  had  the  appearance  of  being  much  traveled. 
It  appeared  to  me  to  lead  to  the  North. 

Awhile  before  sundown,  I  brought  my  bundle  to 
this  road,  and  lay  down  quietly  to  await  the  approach 
of  night.  When  it  was  quite  dark,  except  the  light 
of  the  moon,  which  was  now  brilliant,  I  took  to  this 
road,  and  traveled  all  night  without  hearing  or  seeing 
any  person,  and  on  the  succeeding  night,  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  came  to  the  margin  of  a  river, 
so  wide  that  I  could  not  see  across  it ;  but  the  fog  was 
so  dense  at  this  time  that  I  could  not  have  seen  across 
a  river  of  very  moderate  width.  I  procured  a  long 
pole,  and  sounded  the  depth  of  the  water,  which  I 
found  not  very  deep  ;  but  as  I  could  not  see  the  oppo 
site  shore,  was  afraid  to  attempt  to  ford  the  stream. 

In  this  dilemma,  I  turned  back  from  the  river,  ana 
went  more  than  a  mile  to  gain  the  covert  of  a  small 
wood,  where  I  might  pass  the  day  in  safety,  and  wait 
a  favorable  moment  for  obtaining  a  view  of  the  river, 
preparatory  to  crossing  it.  I  lay  all  day  in  full  view 


332  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

of  the  high  road,  and  saw,  at  leapt,  a  hundred  people 
pass  ;  from  which  I  inferred,  that  the  country  was 
populous  ahout  me.  In  the  evening,  as  soon  as  it  was 
dark,  I  left  my  retreat,  and  returned  to  the  river  side. 
The  atmosphere  was  now  clear,  and  the  river  seemed 
to  be  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width  ;  and  whilst 
I  was  divesting  myself  of  my  clothes,  preparatory  to 
entering  the  water,  happening  to  look  down  the  shore 
I  saw  a  canoe,  with  its  head  drawn  high  on  the  beach. 
On  reaching  the  canoe,  I  found  that  it  was  secured  to 
the  trunk  of  a  tree  by  a  lock  and  chain  ;  but  after 
many  efforts,  I  broke  the  lock  and  launched  the  canoe 
into  the  river.  The  paddles  had  been  removed,  but 
with  the  aid  of  my  sounding-pole,  I  managed  to  con 
duct  the  canoe  across  the  water. 

I  was  now  once  more  in  South  Carolina,  where  I 
knew  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  be  even  more  watchful 
than  I  had  been  in  Georgia.  I  do  not  know  where  I 
crossed  the  Savannah  river,  but  I  think  it  must  have 
been  only  a  few  miles  above  the  town  of  Augusta. 

After  gaining  the  Carolina  shore,  I  took  an  observa 
tion  of  the  rising  moon  and  of  such  stars  as  I  was  ac 
quainted  with,  and  hastened  to  get  away  from  the  river, 
from  which  I  knew  that  heavy  fogs  rose  every  night, 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  obscuring  the  heavens  for 
many  miles  on  either  side.  I  traveled  this  night  at 
least  twenty  miles,  and  provided  myself  wi  th  a  supply 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          333 

of  corn,  which  was  now  hard,  from  a  field  at  the  side 
of  the  road.  At  daybreak  I  turned  into  the  woods, 
and  went  to  the  top  of  a  hill  on  my  left,  where  the 
ground*  was  overgrown  by  the  species  of  pine-tree  call 
ed  spruce  in  the  South.  I  here  kindled  a  fire,  and 
parched  corn  for  my  breakfast. 

In  the  afternoon  of  this  day  the  weather  became 
cloudy,  and  before  dark  the  rain  fell  copiously,  and 
continued  through  the  night,  with  the  wind  high.  I 
took  shelter  under  a  large  stooping  tree  that  was  de 
cayed  and  hollow  on  the  lower  side,  and  kept  me  dry 
until  morning.  When  daylight  appeared,  I  could  see 
that  the  country  around  me  was  well  inhabited,  and 
that  the  forest  in  which  I  lay  was  surrounded  by  plan 
tations,  at  the  distance  of  one  or  two  miles  from  me. 
I  did  not  consider  this  a  safe  position,  and  waited 
anxiously  for  night,  to  enable  me  to  change  my  quar 
ters.  The  weather  was  foul  throughout  the  day  ;  and 
when  night  returned,  it  was  so  dark  that  I  could  not 
see  a  large  tree  three  feet  before  me.  Waiting  until 
the  moon  rose,  I  made  my  way  back  to  the  road,  but 
had  not  proceeded  more  than  two  or  three  miles  on  my 
way,  when  I  came  to  a  place  where  the  road  forked, 
and  the  two  roads  led  away  almost  at  right  angles 
from  each  other.  It  was  so  cloudy  that  I  could  not 
see  the  place  of  the  moon  in  the  heavens,  and  I  knew 
not  which  of  these  roads  to  take  To  go  wrong  was 


334  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

worse  than  to  stand  still,  and  I  therefore  determined 
to  look  out  for  some  spot  in  which  I  could  hide  myself, 
and  remain  in  this  neighhorhood  until  the  clearing  up 
of  the  weather.  Taking  the  right  hand  road,  I  fol 
lowed  its  course  until  I  saw  at  the  distance,  as  I  com 
puted  it  in  the  night,  of  two  miles  from  me  a  large 
forest  which  covered  elevated  ground.  I  gained  it  by 
the  shortest  route  across  some  cotton  fields.  Going 
several  hundred  yards  into  this  wood,  I  attempted  to 
kindle  a  fire,  in  which  I  failed,  every  combustible  sub 
stance  being  wet.  This  compelled  me  to  pass  the 
night  as  well  as  I  could  amongst  the  damp  bushes 
and  trees  that  overhung  me.  When  day  came,  I  went 
farther  into  the  woods,  and  on  the  top  of  the  highest 
ground  that  I  eould  see,  established  my  camp,  by  cut 
ting  bushes  with  my  knife,  and  erecting  a  sort  of  rude 
booth. 

It  was  now,  by  my  computation,  about  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  August,  and  I  remained  here  eleven  days  with 
out  seeing  one  clear  night ;  and  in  all  this  time  the 
sun  never  shone  for  half  a  day  at  once.  I  procured 
my  subsistence  while  here  from  a  field  of  corn  which 
I  discovered  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
my  camp.  This  was  the  first  time  that  I  was  weather 
bound,  and  my  patience  had  been  worn  out  and  re 
newed  repeatedly  before  the  return  of1  the  clear 
weather  ;  but  one  afternoon  I  perceived  the  trees  to 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  335 

be  much  agitated  by  the  wind,  the  clouds  appeared 
high,  and  were  driven  with  velocity  over  my  head.  I 
saw  the  clear  sky  appear  in  all  its  beauty  in  the  north 
west.  Before  sundown  the  wind  was  high,  the  sun 
shone  in  full  splendor,  and  a  few  fleecy  clouds,  career 
ing  high  in  the  upper  vault  of  heaven,  gave  assurance 
that  the  rains  were  over  and  gone. 

At  nightfall  I  returned  to  the  forks  of  the  road,  and 
after  much  observation,  finally  concluded  to  follow  the 
right  hand  road,  in  which  I  am  satisfied  that  I  com 
mitted  a  great  error.  Nothing  worthy  of  notice  occur 
red  for  several  days  after  this.  As  I  was  now  in  a 
thickly-peopled  country,  I  never  moved  until  long 
after  night,  and  was  cautious  never  to  permit  daylight 
to  find  me  on  the  road  ;  but  I  observed  that  the  north- 
star  was  always  on  my  left  hand.  My  object  was  to 
reach  the  neighborhood  of  Columbia,  and  get  upon  the 
road  which  I  had  traveled  and  seen  years  before  in 
coming  to  the  South  ;  but  the  road  I  was  now  on  must 
have  been  the  great  Charleston  road,  leading  down  the 
country,  and  not  across  the  courses  of  the  rivers.  .  So 
many  people  traveled  this  road,  as  well  by  night  as  by 
day,  that  my  progress  was  very  slow  ;  and  in  some  of 
the  nights  I  did  not  travel  more  than  eight  miles.  At 
the  end  of  a  week,  after  leaving  the  forks,  I  found  my 
self  in  a  flat,  sandy,  poor  country  ;  and  as  I  had  not 
met  with  any  river  on  this  road.  I  now  concluded  that 


336  Fifty   Years  in  Chains ;  or, 

I  was  on  the  way  to  the  sea-board  instead  of  Colum 
bia.  In  my  perplexity,  I  resolved  to  try  to  get  infor 
mation  concerning  the  country  I  was  in,  by  placing 
myself  in  some  obscure  place  in  the  side  of  the  road, 
and  listening  to  the  conversation  of  travelers  as  they 
passed  me.  For  this  purpose  I  chose  the  corner  of  a 
cotton  field,  around  which  the  road  turned,  and  led 
along  the  fence  for  some  distance.  Passing  the  day 
in  the  woods  among  the  pine-trees,  I  came  to  this  cor 
ner  in  the  evening,  and  lying  down  within  the  field, 
waited  patiently  the  coming  of  travelers,  that  I  might 
hear  their  conversation,  and  endeavor  to  learn  from 
that  which  they  said,  the  name  at  least  of  some  place 
in  this  neighborhood.  On  the  first  and  second  even 
ings  that  I  lay  here,  I  gleaned  nothing  from  the  pas 
sengers  that  I  thought  could  be  of  service  to  me  ;  but 
on  the  third  night,  about  ten  o'clock,  several  wagons 
drawn  by  mules  passed  me,  and  I  heard  one  of  the 
drivers  call  to  another  and  tell  him  that  it  was  sixty 
miles  to  Charleston  ;  and  that  they  should  be  able  to 
reach  the  river  to-morrow.  I  could  not  at  first  imag 
ine  what  river  this  could  be  ;  but  another  of  the  wag 
oners  inquired  how  far  it  was  to  the  Edisto,  to  which 
it  was  replied  by  some  one  that  it  was  near  thirty 
miles.  I  now  perceived  that  I  had  mistaken  my  course, 
and  was  as  completely  lost  as  a  wild  goose  in  cloudy 
weather. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          337 

Not  knowing  what  to  do,  I  retraced  the  road  that 
had  led  me  to  this  place  for  several  nights,  hoping 
that  something  would  happen  from  which  I  might 
learn  the  route  to  Columbia  ;  but  I  gained  no  informa 
tion  that  could  avail  me  anything.  At  length  I  de 
termined  to  quit  this  road  altogether,  travel  by  the 
north-star  for  two  or  three  weeks,  and  after  that  to 
trust  to  Providence  to  guide  me  to  some  road  that 
might  lead  me  back  to  Maryland.  Having  turned  my 
face  due  North,  I  made  my  way  pretty  well  for  the 
first  night ;  but  on  the  second,  the  fog  was  so  dense 
that  no  stars  could  be  seen.  This  compelled  me  to 
remain  in  my  camp,  which  I  had  pitched  in  a  swamp. 
In  this  place  I  remained  more  than  a  week,  waiting 
for  clear  nights  ;  but  now  the  equinoctial  storm  came 
on,  and  raged  with  a  fury  which  I  had  never  before 
witnessed  in  this  annual  gale  ;  at  least  it  had  nev3r 
before  appeared  so  violent  to  me,  because,  perhaps,  I 
nad  never  been  exposed  to  its  blasts,  without  the  shel 
ter  of  a  house  of  some  kind.  This  storm  ^jntinued 
four  days  ;  and  no  wolf  ever  lay  closer  in  his  lair,  or 
moved  out  with  more  stealthy  caution  than  I  did 
during  this  time.  My  subsistence  was  drawn  from  a 
small  corn-field  at  the  edge  of  the  swamp  in  which  I  lay. 

After  the  storm  was  over,  the  weather  became  calm 
and  clear,  and  I  fell  into  a  road  which  appeared  to  run 

nearly  north-west.     Following  the  course  of  this  road 

15 


338  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

by  short  marches,  because  I  was  obliged  to  start  late 
at  night  and  stop  before  day,  I  came  on  the  first  day, 
or  rather  night,  of  October,  by  my  calendar,  to  a  broad 
and  well-frequented  road  that  crossed  mine  at  nearly 
right  angles.  These  roads  crossed  in  the  middle  of 
a  plantation,  and  I  took  to  the  right  hand  along  this 
great  road,  and  pursued  it  in  the  same  cautious  and 
slow  manner  that  I  had  traveled  for  the  last  month. 

When  the  day  came  I  took  refuge  in  the  woods  as 
usual,  choosing  the  highest  piece  of  ground  that  I 
could  find  in  the  neighborhood.  No  part  of  this  coun 
try  was  very  high,  but  I  thought  people  who  visited 
these  woods,  would  be  less  inclined  to  walk  to  the  tops 
of  the  hills,  than  to  keep  their  course  along  the  low 
grounds. 

I  had  lately  crossed  many  small  streams ;  but  on 
the  second  night  of  my  journey  on  this  road,  came  to 
a  narrow  but  deep  river,  and  after  the  most  careful 
search,  no  boat  or  craft  of  any  kind  could  be  found  on 
my  side.  A  large  flat,  with  two  or  three  canoes,  lay 
on  the  opposite  side,  but  they  were  as  much  out  of 
my  reach  as  if  they  had  never  been  made.  There  was 
no  alternative  but  swimming  this  stream,  ancf  I  made 
the  transit  in  less  than  three  minutes,  carrying  my 
packages  on  my  back. 

I  had  as  yet  fallen  in  with  no  considerable  towns, 
and  whenever  I  had  seen  a  house  near  the  road,  or  one 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  339 

of  the  small  hamlets  of  the  South  in  my  way,  I  had 
gone  round  by  the  woods  or  fields,  so  as  to  avoid  the 
inhabitants  ;  but  on  the  fourth  night  after  swimming 
the  small  river,  I  came  in  sight  of  a  considerable  vil 
lage,  with  lights  burning  and  shining  through  many 
of  the  windows.  I  knew  the  danger  of  passing  a  town, 
on  account  of  the  patrols  with  which  all  southern 
towns  are  provided,  and  making  a  long  circuit  to  the 
right,  so  as  totally  to  avoid  this  village,  I  came  to  the 
banks  of  a  broad  river,  which,  upon  further  examina 
tion,  I  found  flowing  past  the  village,  and  near  its 
border.  This  compelled  me  to  go  back,  and  attempt 
to  turn  the  village  on  the  left,  which  was  performed 
by  wandering  a  long  time  in  swamps  and  pine  woods 

It  was  break  of  day  when  I  regained  the  road  be 
yond  the  village,  and  returning  to  the  swamps  from 
which  I  had  first  issued,  I  passed  the  day  under  theii 
cover.  On  the  following  night,  after  regaining  the 
road,  I  soon  found  myself  in  a  country  almost  entirely 
clear  of  timber,  and  abounding  in  fields  of  cotton  and 
corn. 

The  houses  were  numerous,  and  the  barking  of  dogs 
was  incessant.  I  felt  that  I  was  in  the  midst  of  dan 
gers,  and  that  I  was  entering  a  region  very  different 
from  those  tracts  of  country  through  which  I  had  lately 
passed,  where  the  gloom  of  the  wilderness  was  only 
broken  by  solitary  plantations  or  lonely  huts.  I  had 


340  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

no  doubt  that  I  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  some  town, 
but  of  its  name,  and  the  part  of  the  country  in  which 
it  was  located,  I  was  ignorant.  I  at  length  found  that 
I  was  receding  from  the  woods  altogether,  and  entering 
a  champaign  country,  in  the  midst  of  which  I  now 
perceived  a  town  of  considerable  magnitude,  the  inhab 
itants  of  which  were  entirely  silent,  and  the  town  itself 
presented  the  appearance  of  total  solitude.  The  coun 
try  around  was  so  open,  that  I  despaired  of  turning  so 
large  a  place  as  this  was,  and  again  finding  the  road  I 
traveled,  I  therefore  determined  to  risk  all  conse 
quences,  and  attempt  to  pass  this  town  under  cover  of 
darkness. 

Keeping  straight  forward,  I  came  unexpectedly  to 
a  broad  river,  which  I  now  saw  running  between  me 
and  the  town.  I  took  it  for  granted  that  there  must 
be  a  ferry  at  this  place,  and  on  examining  the  shore, 
found  several  small  boats  fastened  only  with  ropes  to 
a  large  scow.  One  of  these  boats  I  seized,  and  was 
quickly  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  river.  I  entered 
the  village  and  proceeded  to  its  centre,  without  seeing 
so  much  as  a  rat  in  motion.  Finding  myself  in  an 
open  space,  I  stopped  to  examine  the  streets,  and  upon 
looking  at  the  houses  around  me,  I  at  once  recognized 
the  jail  of  Columbia,  and  the  tavern  in  which  I  had 
lodged  on  the  night  after  I  was  sold. 

This  discovery  made  me  fe^l  almost  at  home,  with 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          341 

my  wife  and  children.  I  remembered  the  streets  by 
which  I  had  come  from  the  country  to  the  jail,  and 
was  quickly  at  the  extremity  of  the  town,  marching 
towards  the  residence  of  the  paltry  planter,  at  whose 
house  I  had  lodged  on  my  way  South.  Ifc  was  late  at 
night,  when  I  left  Columbia,  and  it  was  necessary  for 
me  to  make  all  speed,  and  get  as  far  as  possible  from 
that  place  before  day.  I  ran  rather  than  walked,  until 
the  appearance  of  dawn,  when  I  left  the  road  and  took 
shelter  in  the  pine  woods,  with  which  this  part  of  tht 
country  abounds. 

I  had  now  been  traveling  almost  two  months,  and 
was  still  so  near  the  place  from  which  I  first  departed^ 
that  I  could  easily  have  walked  to  it  in  a  week,  by 
daylight ;  but  I  hoped,  that  as  I  was  now  on  a  road 
with  which  I  was  acquainted,  and  in  a  country  through 
which  I  had  traveled  before,  that  my  future  progress 
would  be  more  rapid,  and  that  I  should  be  able  to 
surmount,  without  difficulty,  many  of  the  obstacles 
that  had  hitherto  embarrassed  me  so  greatly. 

It  was  now  in  my  power  to  avail  myself  of  the  know 
ledge  I  had  formerly  acquired  of  the  customs  of  South 
Carolina.  The  patrol  are  very  rigid  in  the  execution 
of  the  authority  with  which  they  are  invested  ;  but  I 
never  had  much  difficulty  with  these  officers  anywhere. 
From  dark  until  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  the 
patrol  are  watchful,  and  always  traversing  the  country 


342  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

in  quest  of  negroes,  but  towards  midnight  these  gen 
tlemen  grow  cold,  or  sleepy,  or  weary,  and  generally 
betake  themselves  to  some  house,  where  they  can  pro 
cure  a  comfortable  fire. 

I  now  established,  as  a  ru\3  of  my  future  conduct, 
to  remain  in  my  hiding  place  until  after  ten  o'clock, 
according  to  my  computation  of  time  ;  and  this  night 
I  did  not  come  to  the  road  until  I  supposed  it  to  be 
within  an  hour  of  midnight,  and  it  was  well  for  me 
that  I  practiced  so  much  caution,  for  when  within  two 
or  three  hundred  yards  of  the  road,  I  heard  people  con 
versing.  After  standing  some  minutes  in  the  woods, 
and  listening  to  the  voices  at  the  road,  the  people 
separated,  and  a  party  took  each  end  of  the  road,  and 
galloped  away  upon  their  horses.  These  people  were 
certainly  a  band  of  patrollers,  who  were  watching  this 
road,  and  had  just  separated  to  return  home  for  the 
night.  After  the  horsemen  were  quite  out  of  hearing, 
I  came  to  the  road,  and  walked  as  fast  as  I  could  for 
hours,  and  again  came  into  the  lane  leading  to  the 
house,  where  I  had  first  remained  a  few  days,  in  Caro 
lina.  Turning  away  from  the  road  I  passed  through 
this  plantation,  near  the  old  cotton-gin  house  in  which 
I  had  formerly  lodged,  and  perceived  that  every  thing 
on  this  plantation  was  nearly  as  it  was  when  I  left  it. 
Two  or  three  mibs  from  this  place  I  again  left  the 
road,  and  sought  a  place  of  concealment,  and  from 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave,          343 


this  time  until  I  reached  Maryland,  I  never  remained 
in  the  road  until  daylight  but  once,  and  I  paid  dearly 
then  for  my  temerity. 

I  was  now  in  an  open,  thickly-peopled  country,  in 
comparison  with  many  other  tracts  through  which  I 
had  passed  ;  and  this  circumstance  compelled  me  to 
observe  the  greater  caution.  As  nearly  as  possible,  I 
confined  my  traveling  within  the  hours  of  midnight 
and  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Parties  of  patrol- 
lers  were  heard  by  me  almost  every  morning  before 
day.  These  people  sometimes  moved  directly  along 
the  roads,  but  more  frequently  lay  in  wait  near  the 
*>ide  of  the  road,  ready  to  pounce  upon  any  runaway 
slave  that  might  chance  to  pass ;  but  I  knew  DV  former 
experience  that  they  never  lay  out  all  night,  except  in 
times  of  apprehended  danger  ;  and  the  country  ap 
pearing  at  this  time  to  be  quiet,  I  felt  but  little  appre 
hension  of  falling  in  with  these  policemen,  within  my 
traveling  hours. 

There  was  now  plenty  of  corn  in  the  fields,  and 
sweet  potatoes  had  not  yet  been  dug.  There  was  no 
scarcity  of  provisions  with  me,  and  my  health  was 
good,  and  my  strength  unimpaired.  For  more  than 
two  weeks  I  pursued  the  road  that  had  led  me  from 
Columbia,  believing  I  was  on  my  way  to  Camden. — 
Many  small  streams  crossed  my  way,  but  none  of 
the  in  were  large  enough  to  oblige  me  to  swim  in  cross 
ing  them. 


344  Fifty  Tzars  in  Chains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    XV1L 

ON  the  twenty-fourth  of  October,  according  to  my 
computation,  in  a  dark  night,  I  came  to  a  river  which 
appeared  to  be  both  broad  and  deep.  Sounding  its 
depth  with  a  pole,  I  found  it  too  deep  to  be  forded, 
and  after  the  most  careful  search  along  the  shore,  no 
boat  could  be  discovered.  This  place  appeared  alto 
gether  strange  to  me,  and  I  began  to  fear  that  I  was 
again  lost.  Confident  that  I  had  never  before  been 
where.  I  now  found  myself,  and  ignorant  of  the  other 
side  of  the  stream,  I  thought  it  best  not  to  attempt  to 
cross  this  water  until  I  was  better  informed  of  the 
country  through  which  it  flowed.  A  thick  wood  bor 
dered  the  road  on  my  left,  and  gave  me  shelter  until 
daylight.  Ascending  a  tree  at  sunrise  that  overlooked 
the  stream,  which  appeared  to  be  more  than  a  mile  in 
width,  I  perceived  on  the  opposite  shore  a  house,  and 
one  large  and  several  small  boats  in  the  river.  I  re 
mained  in  this  tree  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and 
saw  several  persons  cross  the  river,  some  of  whom  had 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  345 

horses  ;  but  in  the  evening  the  boats  were  all  taken 
back  to  the  place  at  which  I  had  seen  them  in  the 
morning.  The  river  was  so  broad  that  I  felt  some  fear 
of  failing  in  the  attempt  to  swim  it ;  but  seeing  no 
prospect  of  procuring  a  boat  to  transport  me,  I  re 
solved  to  attempt  the  navigation  as  soon  as  it  was 
dark.  About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  having  equipped 
myself  in  the  best  manner  I  was  able,  I  undertook  this 
hazardous  navigation,  and  succeeded  in  gaining  the 
farther  shore  of  the  river,  in  about  an  hour,  with  all 
my  things  in  safety.  On  the  previous  day  I  had  noted 
the  bearing  of  the  road,  as  it  led  from  the  river,  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  I  again  resumed  my  jour-  * 
ney,  in  a  state  of  perplexity  bordering  upon  despera 
tion  ;  for  it  was  now  evident  that  this  was  not  the 
road  by  which  we  had  traveled  when  we  came  to  the 
southern  country,  and  on  which  hand  to  turn  to  reach 
the  right  way  I  knew  not. 

After  traveling  five  or  six  miles  on  this  road,  and 
having  the  north-star  in  view  all  the  time,  I  became 
satisfied  that  my  course  lay  northwest,  and  that  I  was 
consequently  going  out  of  my  way ;  and  to  heighten 
my  anxiety,  I  had  not  tasted  any  animal  food  since  I 
crossed  the  Savannah  river — a  sensation  of  hunger 
harassed  me  constantly  ;  but  fortune,  which  had  been 
BO  long  adverse  to  me,  and  had  led  me  so  often  astray, 

had  now  a  little  favor  in  store  for  me.     The  leaves 

15 


346  Fifty  Years  -In  Chains  ;  or, 

were  already  fallen  from  some  of  the  more  tender  trees, 
and  near  the  road  I  this  night  perceived  a  persimmon 
tree,  well  laden  with  fruit,  and  whilst  gathering  the 
fallen  persimmons  under  the  tree,  a  noise  over  head 
arrested  my  attention.  This  noise  was  caused  by  a 
large  opossum,  which  was  on  the  tree  gathering  fruit 
like  myself.  With  a  long  stick  the  animal  was  brought 
to  the  ground,  and  it  proved  to  be  very  fat,  weighing 
at  least  ten  pounds.  With  such  a  luxury  as  this  in 
my  possession,  I  could  not  think  of  traveling  far  with 
out  tasting  it,  and  accordingly  halted  about  a  mile 
from  the  persimmon  tree,  on  a  rising  ground  in  a 
thick  wood,  where  I  killed  my  opossum,  and  took  off 
its  skin,  a  circumstance  that  I  much  regretted,  for 
with  the  skin  I  took  at  least  a  pound  of  fine  fat. 
Had  I  possessed  the  means  of  scalding  my  game,  and 
dressing  it  like  a  pig,  it  would  have  afforded  me  pro 
vision  for  a  week  ;  but  as  it  was,  I  made  a  large  fire 
and  roasted  my  prize  before  it,  losing  all  the  oil  that 
ran  out  in  the  operation,  for  want  of  a  dripping-pan 
to  catch  it.  It  was  daylight  when  my  meat  was  ready 
for  the  table,  and  a  very  sumptuous  breakfast  it  yield 
ed  me. 

Since  leaving  Columbia,  I  had  followed  as  nearly 
as  the  course  of  the  roads  permitted,  the  index  of  the 
north-star  ;  which,  I  supposed,  would  lead  me  on  the 
most  direct  route  to  Maryland ;  but  I  now  became 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          347 


convinced,  that  this  star  was  leading  me  away  from 
the  line  by  which  I  had  approached  the  cotton  country. 

I  slept  none  this  day,  but  passed  the  whole  time, 
from  breakfast  until  night,  in  considering  the  means 
of  regaining  my  lost  way.  From  the  aspect  of  the 
country  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion,  that  I  was  not 
near  the  sea-coast ;  for  there  were  no  swamps  in  all 
this  region  ;  the  land  lay  rather  high  and  rolling,  and 
oak  timber  abounded. 

At  the  return  of  night,  I  resumed  my  journey  earliei 
than  usual ;  paying  no  regard  to  the  roads,  but  keep* 
ing  the  north- star  on  my  left  hand,  as  nearly  as  I  could. 
This  night  I  killed  a  rabbit,  which  had  leaped  from  the 
bushes  before  me,  by  throwing  my  walking  stick  at  it. 
It  was  roasted  at  my  stopping  place  in  the  morning, 
and  was  very  good. 

I  pursued  the  same  course,  keeping  the  north-star  on 
my  left  hand  for  three  nights  ;  intending  to  get  as  far 
East  as  the  road  leading  from.  Columbia  to  Kichmond, 
in  Virginia  ;  but  as  my  line  of  march  lay  almost  con 
tinually  in  the  woods,  I  made  but  little  progress  ; 
and  on  the  third  day,  the  weather  became  cloudy,  so 
that  I  could  not  see  the  stars.  This  again  compelled 
me  to  lie  by,  until  the  return  of  fair  weather. 

On  the  second  day,  after  I  had  stopped  this  time, 
the  sun  shone  out  bright  in  the  morning,  and  contin 
ued  to  shed  a  gJ  orious  light  during  the  day  ;  but  in 


348  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

the  evening,  the  heavens  became  overcast  with  clouds  ; 
and  the  night  that  followed  was  so  dark,  that  I  did 
not  attempt  to  travel.  This  state  of  the  weather  con 
tinued  more  than  a  week ;  obliging  me  to  remain 
stationary  all  this  time.  These  cloudy  nights  were 
succeeded  by  a  brisk  wind  from  the  north-west,  accom 
panied  by  fine  clear  nights,  in  which  I  made  the  best 
of  my  way  towards  the  north-east,  pursuing  my  course 
across  the  country  without  regard  to  roads,  forests,  or 
streams  of  water  ;  crossing  many  of  the  latter,  none  of 
which  were  deep,  but  some  of  them  were  extremely 
muddy.  One  night  I  became  entangled  in  a  thick 
and  deep  swamp  ;  the  trees  that  grew  in  which,  were 
so  tall,  and  stood  so  close  together,  that  the  interlock 
ing  of  their  boughs,  and  the  deep  foliage  in  which  they 
were  clad,  prevented  me  from  seeing  the  stars.  Wan 
dering  there  for  several  hours,  most  of  the  time  with 
mud  and  water  over  my  knees,  and  frequently  wading 
in  stagnant  pools,  with  deep  slimy  bottoms,  I  became 
totally  lost,  and  was  incapable  of  seeing  the  least  ap 
pearance  of  fast  land.  At  length,  giving  up  all  hope 
of  extricating  myself  from  this  abyss  of  mud,  water, 
brambles,  and  fallen  timber,  I  scrambled  on  a  large 
tussock,  and  sat  down  to  await  the  coming  of  day, 
with  the  intention  of  going  to  the  nearest  high  land, 
as  so-  m  as  the  sun  should  be  up.  The  nights  were  now 
becoming  cool,  and  though  I  did  not  see  any  frost  in 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  349 

the  swamp  where  I  was  in  the  morning,  I  have  no 
doubt  that  hoar  frost  was  seen  in  the  dry  and  open 
country.  After  daylight  I  found  myself  as  much  per 
plexed  as  I  was  at  midnight.  No  shore  was  to  be 
seen  ;  and  in  every  direction  there  was  the  same  deep, 
dreary,  black  solitude.  To  add  to  my  misfortune,  the 
morning  proved  cloudy,  and  when  the  sun  was  up,  I 
could  not  tell  the  east  from  the  west.  After  waiting 
several  hours  for  a  sight  of  the  sun,  and  failing  to  ob 
tain  it,  I  set  out  in  search  of  a  running  stream  of  water, 
intending  to  strike  off  at  right  angles,  with  the  course 
of  the  current,  and  endeavor  to  reach  the  dry  ground 
by  this  means ;  but  after  wandering  about,  through 
tangled  bushes,  briars,  and  vines,  clambering  over  fallen 
tree-tops,  and  wading  through  fens  overgrown  with 
saw  grass,  for  two  or  three  hours,  I  sat  down  in  des 
pair  of  finding  any  guide  to  conduct  me  from  this  de 
testable  place. 

My  bag  of  meal  that  I  took  with  me  at  the  com 
mencement  of  my  journey  was  long  since  gone  ;  and 
the  only  provisions  that  I  now  possessed  were  a  few 
grains  of  parched  com,  and  near  a  pint  of  chestnuts 
that  I  had  picked  up  under  a  tree  the  day  before  I 
entered  the  swamp.  The  chestnut-tree  was  full  of 
nuts,  but  I  was  afraid  to  throw  sticks  or  to  shake  the 
tree,  lest  hunters  or  other  persons  hearing  the  noise, 
might  be  drawn  to  the  place. 


350  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

About  ten  o'clock  I  sat  down  under  a  large  cypress 
tree,  upon  a  decaying  log  of  the  same  timber,  to  make 
my  breakfast  on  a  few  grains  of  parched  corn.  Near 
me  was  an  open  space  without  trees,  but  filled  with 
water  that  seemed  to  be  deep,  for  no  grass  grew  in  it, 
except  a  small  quantity  near  the  shore.  The  water 
was  on  my  left  hand,  and  as  I  sat  cracking  my  corn, 
my  attention  was  attracted  by  the  playful  gambols  of 
two  squirrels  that  were  running  and  chasing  each  other 
on  the  boughs  of  some  trees  near  me.  Half  pleased 
with  the  joyous  movements  of  the  little  animals,  and 
half  covetous  of  their  carcasses,  to  roast  and  devour 
them,  I  paid  no  attention  to  a  succession  of  sounds  on 
my  left,  which  I  thought  proceeded  from  the  move 
ment  of  frogs  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  until  the  break 
ing  of  a  stick  near  me  caused  me  to  turn  my  head, 
when  I  discovered  that  I  had  other  neighbors  than 
spring  frogs. 

A  monstrous  alligator  had  left  the  water,  and  was 
crawling  over  the  mud,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  me. 
He  was  now  within  fifteen  feet  of  me,  and  in  a  moment 
more,  if  he  had  not  broken  the  stick  with  his  weight, 
I  should  have  become  his  prey.  He  could  easily  have 
knocked  me  down  with  a  blow  of  his  tail  ;  and  if  hig 
jaws  had  once  been  closed  on  a  leg  or  an  arm,  he  would 
have  dragged  me  into  the  water,  spite  of  any  resist 
ance  that  I  could  have  made. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  351 

At  the  sight  of  him,  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  run 
ning  to  the  other  end  of  the  fallen  tree  on  which  I  sat, 
and  being  there  out  of  danger,  had  an  opportunity  of 
viewing  the  motions  of  the  alligator  at  leisure.  Find 
ing  me  out  of  his  reach,  he  raised  his  trunk  from  the 
ground,  elevated  his  snout,  and  gave  a  wistful  look, 
the  import  of  which  I  well  understood  ;  then  turning 
slowly  round,  he  retreated  to  the  water,  and  sank  from 
my  vision. 

I  was  much  alarmed  by  this  adventure  with  the  alli 
gator,  for  had  I  fallen  in  with  this  huge  reptile  in  the 
night  time,  I  should  have  had  no  chance  of  escape 
from  his  tusks. 

The  whole  day  was  spent  in  the  swamp,  not  in  trav 
eling  from  place  to  place,  but  in  waiting  for  the  sun 
to  shine,  to  enable  me  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  the 
various  points  of  the  heavens.  The  day  was  succeeded 
by  a  night  of  unbroken  darkness  ;  and  it  was  late  in 
the  evening  of  the  second  day  before  I  saw  the  sun. 
It  being  then  too  late  to  attempt  to  extricate  myself 
from  the  swamp  for  that  day,  I  was  obliged  to  pass 
another  night  in  the  lodge  that  I  had  formed  for  my 
self  in  the  thick  boughs  of  a  fallen  cypress  tree,  which 
elevated  me  several  feet  from  the  ground,  where  I  be 
lieved  the  alligator  could  not  reach  me  if  he  should 
come  in  pursuit  of  me. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  the  sun  rose  beau- 


352  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

tifully  clear,  and  at  sight  of  him  I  set  off  for  the  East, 
It  must  have  been  five  miles  from  the  place  where  I 
lay  to  the  dry  land  on  the  East  of  the  swamp  ;  for 
with  all  the  exertion  that  fear  and  hunger  compelled 
me  to  make,  it  was  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  when  I  reached  the  shore,  after  swimming  in 
several  places,  and  suffering  the  loss  of  a  very  valuable 
part  of  my  clothes,  which  were  torn  off  by  the  briars 
and  snags.  On  coming  to  high  ground  I  found  myself 
in  the  woods,  and  hungry  as  I  was,  lay  down  to  await 
the  coming  of  night,  lest  some  one  should  see  me  mov 
ing  through  the  forest  in  daylight. 

When  night  came  on,  I  resumed  my  journey  by  the 
stars,  which  were  visible,  and  marched  several  miles 
before  coming  to  a  plantation.  The  first  that  I  came 
to  was  a  cotton  field  ;  and  after  much  search,  I  found 
no  corn  nor  grain  of  any  kind  on  this  place,  and  was 
compelled  to  continue  on  my  way. 

Two  or  three  miles  further  on  I  was  more  fortunate, 
and  found  a  field  of  corn  which  had  been  gathered  from 
the  stalks  and  thrown  in  heaps  along  the  ground. — 
Filling  my  little  bag,  which  I  still  kept,  with  this  corn, 
I  retreated  a  mile  or  two*  in  the  woods,  and  striking 
fire,  encamped  for  the  purpose  of  parching  and  eating 
t.  After  despatching  my  meal,  I  lay  down  beside  the 
fire  and  fell  into  a  sound  sleep,  from  which  I  did  not 
awake  until  long  after  sunrise  ;  but  on  rising  and  look- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  353 

ing  around  me,  I  found  that  my  lodge  was  within  less 
than  a  hundred  yards  of  a  new  house  that  people  were 
building  in  the  woods,  and  upon  which  men  were  now 
at  work.  Dropping  instantly  to  the  ground,  I  crawled 
away  through  the  woods,  until  being  out  of  sight  of 
the  house,  I  ventured  to  rise  and  escape  on  my  feet. 
After  I  lay  down  in  the  night,  my  fire  had  died  away 
and  emitted  no  smoke  ;  this  circumstance  saved  me. 
This  affair  made  me  more  cautious  as  to  my  future 
conduct. 

Hiding  in  the  woods  until  night  again  came  on,  I 
continued  my  course  eastward,  -and  some  time  after 
midnight  came  upon  a  wide,  well  beaten  road,  one 
end  of  which  led,  at  this  place,  a  little  to  the  left  of 
the  north-star,  which  I  could  plainly  see.  Here  I  de 
liberated  a  long  time,  whether  to  take  this  road,  or 
continue  my  course  across  the  country  by  the  stars  ; 
but  at  last  resolved  to  follow  the  road,  more  from  a 
desire  to  get  out  of  the  woods,  than  from  a  conviction 
that  it  would  lead  me  in  the  right  way.  In  the  course 
of  this  night  I  saw  but  few  plantations,  but  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  see  a  ground-hog  crossing  the  road  be 
fore  me.  This  animal  I  killed  with  my  stick,  and  car 
ried  it  until  morning. 

At  the  approach  of  daylight,  turning  away  to  the 
right,  I  gained  the  top  of  an  eminence,  from  which  I 
could  see  through  the  woods  for  some  distance  around 


354  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

me.  Here  I  kindled  a  fire  and  roasted  my  ground 
hog,  which  afforded  me  a  most  grateful  repast,  after 
my  late  fasting  and  severe  toils.  According  to  custom 
my  meal  being  over,  I  betook  myself  to  sleep,  and  did 
not  awake  until  the  afternoon  ;  when  descending  a 
few  rods  down  the  hill,  and  standing  still  to  take  a  sur 
vey  of  the  woods  around  me,  I  saw,  at  the  distance  of 
half  a  mile  from  me,  a  man  moving  slowly  about  in 
the  forest,  and  apparently  watching,  like  myself,  to  see 
if  any  one  was  in  view.  Looking  at  this  man  atten 
tively,  I  saw  that  he  was  a  black,  and  that  he  did  not 
move  more  than  a  few  rods  from  the  same  spot  where  I 
first  saw  him.  Curiosity  impelled  me  to  know  more 
of  the  condition  of  my  neighbor  ;  and  descending  quite 
to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  I  perceived  that  he  had  a  covert 
of  boughs  of  trees,  under  which  I  saw  him  pass,  and 
after  some  time  return  again  from  his  retreat.  Exam 
ining  the  appearance  of  things  carefully,  I  became 
satisfied  that  the  stranger  was,  like  myself,  a  negro 
slave,  and  I  determined,  without  more  ceremony,  to 
go  and  speak  to  him,  for  I  felt  no  fear  of  being  be 
trayed  by  one  as  badly  off  in  the  world  as  myself. 

When  this  man  first  saw  me,  at  the  distance  of  a 
Hundred  yards  from  him,  he  manifested  great  agita- 
i/ion,  and  at  once  seemed  disposed  to  run  from  me  ; 
but  when  I  called  to  him,  and  told  him  not  to  be 
ifraid,  he  became  more  assured,  and  waited  for  me  to 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          355 

come  close  to  him.  I  found  him  to  be  a  dark  mulatto, 
small  and  slender  in  person,  and  lame  in  one  leg.  He 
had  been  well  bred,  and  possessed  good  manners  and 
fine  address.  I  told  him  I  was  traveling,  and  pre 
sumed  this  was  not  his  dwelling  place  :  upon  which 
he  informed  me  that  he  was  a  native  of  Kent  county, 
in  the  State  of  Delaware,  and  had  been  brought  up  as 
a  house -servant  by  his  master,  who,  on  his  death-bed, 
had  made  his  will,  and  directed  him  to  be  set  free  by 
his  executors,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  and  that  in 
the  meantime  he  would  be  hired  out  as  a  servant  to 
some  person  who  should  treat  him  well.  Soon  after 
the  death  of  his  master,  the  executors  hired  him  to  a 
man  in  Wilmington,  who  employed  him  as  a  waiter  in 
his  house  for  three  or  four  months,  and  then  took  him 
to  a  small  town  called  Newport,  and  sold  him  to  a 
man  who  took  him  immediately  to  Baltimore,  where 
he  was  again  sold  or  transferred  to  another  man,  who 
brought  him  to  South  Carolina,  and  sold  him  to  a 
cotton  planter,  with  whom  he  had  lived  more  than  two 
years,  and  had  run  away  three  weeks  before  the  time  I 
saw  him,  with  the  intention  of  returning  to  Delaware. 
That  being  lame,  and  becoming  fatigued  by  travel 
ing,  he  had  stopped  here  and  made  this  shelter  of 
boughs  and  bark  of  trees,  under  which  he  had  remain 
ed  more  than  a  week  before  I  met  him.  He  invited 
rae  to  go  into  his  camp  as  he  termed  it,  where  he  had 


356  Fifty   Years   'n  Chains ;  or, 

an  old  skillet,  more  than  a  bushel  of  potatoes,  and 
several  fowls,  all  of  which  he  said  he  had  purloined 
from  the  plantations  in  the  neighborhood. 

This  encampment  was  in  a  level,  open  wood,  and  it 
appeared  surprising  to  me  that  its  occupant  had  not 
been  discovered  and  conveyed  back  to  his  master  be 
fore  this  time.  I  told  him  that  I  thought  he  ran  great 
risk  of  being  taken  up  by  remaining  here,  and  advised 
him  to  break  up  his  lodge  immediately,  and  pursue  his 
journey,  traveling  only  in  the  night  time.  He  then 
proposed  to  join  me,  and  travel  in  company  with  me  ; 
but  this  I  declined,  because  of  his  lameness  and  great 
want  of  discretion,  though  I  did  not  assign  these  rea 
sons  to  him. 

I  remained  with  this  man  two  or  three  hours,  and 
ate  dinner  of  fowls  dressed  after  his  rude  fashion. — 
Before  leaving  him,  I  pressed  upon  him  the  necessity 
of  immediately  quitting  the  position  he  then  occupied, 
but  he  said  he  intended  to  remain  there  a  few  days 
longer,  unless  I  would  take  him  with  me. 

On  quitting  my  new  acquaintance,  I  thought  it  pru 
dent  to  change  my  place  of  abode  for  the  residue  of 
this  day,  and  removed  along  the  top  of  the  hill  that  I 
occupied  at  least  two  miles,  and  concealed  myself  in  a 
thicket  until  night,  when  returning  to  the  road  I  had 
left  in  the  morning,  and  traveling  hard  all  night,  I 
came  to  a  large  stream  ol  water  just  at  the  break  of 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          357 

day.  As  it  was  too  late  to  pass  the  river  with  safety 
this  morning  at  this  ford,  I  went  half  a  mile  higher, 
and  swam  across  the  stream  in  open  daylight,  at  a 
place  where  both  sides  of  the  water  were  skirted  with 
woods.  I  had  several  large  potatoes  that  had  been 
given  to  me  hy  the  man  at  his  camp  in  the  woods,  and 
these  constituted  my  rations  for  this  day. 

At  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  I  took  the  bear 
ing  of  the  road  by  the  course  of  the  stream  that  I  had 
crossed,  and  found  that  I  was  traveling  to  the  north 
west,  instead  of  the  north  or  northeast,  to  one  of  which 
latter  points  I  wished  to  direct  my  march. 

Having  perceived  the  country  in  which  I  now  was 
to  be  thickly  peopled,  I  remained  in  my  resting  place 
until  late  at  night,  when  returning  to  the  road  and 
crossing  it,  I  took  once  more  to  the  woods,  with  the 
stars  for  my  guides,  and  steered  for  the  northeast. 

This  was  a  fortunate  night  for  me  in  all  respects. 
The  atmosphere  was  clear,  the  ground  was  high,  dry, 
and  free  from  thickets.  In  the  course  of  the  night  I 
passed  several  corn  fields,  with  the  corn  still  remain 
ing  in  them,  and  passed  a  potato  lot,  in  which  large 
quantities  of  fine  potatoes  were  dug  out  of  the  ground 
and  lay  in  heaps  covered  with,  vines  ;  but  my  most 
signal  good  luck  occurred  just  before  day,  when  pass 
ing  under  a  dog-wood  tree,  and  hearing  a  noise  in  the 
branches  above  me,  I  looked  up  and  saw  a  large  opos 
sum  amongst  the  berries  that  hung  upon  the  boaghs. 


358  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  /  or, 

The  game  was  quickly  shaken  down,  and  turned  out 
as  fat  as  a  well-fed  pig,  and  as  heavy  as  a  full-grown 
raccoon.  My  attention  was  now  turned  to  searching 
for  a  place  in  which  I  could  secrete  myself  for  the  day, 
and  dress  my  provisions  in  quietness. 

This  day  was  clear  and  beautiful  until  the  after 
noon,  when  the  air  became  damp,  and  the  heavens 
were  overhung  with  clouds.  The  night  that  followed 
was  dark  as  pitch,  compelling  me  to  remain  in  my 
camp  all  night.  The  next  day  brought  with  it  a  ter 
rible  storm  of  rain  and  wind,  that  continued  with  but 
little  intermission,  more  than  twenty-four  hours,  and 
the  sun  was  not  again  visible  until  the  third  day  j 
nor  was  there  a  clear  night  for  more  than  a  week. 
During  all  this  time  I  lay  in  my  camp,  and  subsisted 
upon  the  provisions  that  I  had  brought  with  me  to 
this  place.  The  corn  and  potatoes  looked  so  tempting, 
when  I  saw  them  in  the  fields,  that  I  had  taken  more 
than  I  should  have  consumed,  had  not  the  bad  weather 
compelled  me  to  remain  at  this  spot ;  but  it  was  well 
for  me,  for  this  time,  that  I  had  taken  more  than  I 
could  eat  in  one  or  two  days. 

At  the  end  of  the  cloudy  weather,  I  felt  much  re 
freshed  arid  strengthened,  and  resumed  my  journey  in 
high  spirits,  although  I  now  began  to  feel  the  want 
of  shoes — those  which  I  wore  when  I  left  my  mistress 
having  long  since  been  worn  out,  and  my  boots  were 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          359 

wrap  straps  of  hickory  bark  about  my  feet  to  keep  the 
leather  from  separating,  arid  falling  to  pieces. 

It  was  now,  by  my  computation,  the  month  of 
November,  and  I  was  yet  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina. 
I  began  to  consider  with  myself,  whether  I  had  gained 
or  lost,  by  attempting  to  travel  on  the  roads  ;  and, 
after  revolving  in  my  mind  ail  the  disasters  that  had 
befallen  me,  determined  to  abandon  the  roads  alto 
gether,  for  two  reasons  :  the  first  of  which  was,  that 
on  the  highways  I  was  constantly  liable  to  meet  per 
sons,  or  to  be  overtaken  by  them  ;  and  a  second,  no 
less  powerful,  was,  that  as  I  did  not  know  what  roads 
to  pursue,  I  was  oftener  traveling  on  the  wrong  routo 
than  on  the  right  one. 

Setting  my  face  once  more  for  the  north-star,  I  ad 
vanced  with  a  steady,  though  slow  pace,  for  four  or 
five  nights,  when  I  was  again  delayed  by  dark  weather, 
and  forced  to  remain  in  idleness  nearly  two  weeks  ; 
and  when  the  weather  again  became  clear,  I  was  ar 
rested  on  the  second  night  by  a  broad  and  rapid  river, 
that  appeared  so  formidable  that  I  did  not  dare  to 
attempt  its  passage  until  after  examining  it  in  day 
light.  On  the  succeeding  night,  however,  I  crossed  it 
by  swimming — resting  at  some  large  rocks  near  the 
middle.  After  gaining  the  north  side  of  this  river, 
which  I  believed  to  be  the  Catawba,  I  considered  my 
self  in  North  Carolina,  and  again  steered  towards  the 
North, 


360  Fifty   Years  in  Oliains  ;  or, 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE  month  of  November  is,  in  all  years,  a  season 
of  clouds  and  vapors  ;  but  at  the  time  of  which  I 
write,  the  good  weather  vanished  early  in  the  month, 
and  all  the  clouds  of  the  universe  seemed  to  have  col 
lected  in  North  Carolina.  From  the  second  night  after 
crossing  the  Catawba,  I  did  not  see  the  north-star  for 
the  space  of  three  weeks ;  and  during  all  this  time, 
no  progress  was  made  in  my  journey ;  although  I  sel 
dom  remained  two  days  in  the  same  place,  but  moved 
from  one  position  to  another,  for  the  purpose  of  elu 
ding  the  observation  of  the  people  of  the  country., 
whose  attention  might  have  been  attracted  by  the  con 
tinual  appearance  of  the  smoke  of  my  fires  in  one 
place. 

There  had,  as  yet,  been  no  hard  frost,  and  the  leaves 
were  still  on  the  oak  trees,  at  the  close  of  this  cloudy 
weather  ;  but  the  northwest  wind  which  dispelled  the 
mist,  also  brought  down  nearly  all  the  leaves  of  the 
forest,  except  those  of  the  evergreen  trees  ;  and  the 


. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  361 

nights  now  became  clear,  and  the  air  keen  with  frost. 
Hitherto  the  oak  woods  had  afforded  me  the  safest 
shelter,  but  now  I  was  obliged  to  seek  for  groves  of 
young  pines  to  retire  to  at  dawn.  Heretofore  I  had 
found  a  plentiful  subsistence  in  every  corn-field  and 
potato-lot,  that  fell  in  my  way  :  but  now  began  to 
find  some  of  the  fields  in  which  corn  had  grown,  des 
titute  of  the  corn,  and  containing  nothing  but  the 
stalks.  The  potatoes  had  all  been  taken  out  of  the 
lots  where  they  grew,  except  in  some  few  instances 
where  they  had  been  buried  in  the  field  ;  and  the 
means  of  subsistence  became  every  day  more  difficult 
to  be  obtained  ;  but  as  I  had  fine  weather,  I  made  the 
best  use  of  those  hours  in  which  I  dared  to  travel,  and 
was  constantly  moving  from  a  short  time  after  dark 
until  daylight.  The  toil  that  I  underwent  for  the 
first  half  of  the  month  of  December  was  excessive,  and 
my  sufferings  for  want  of  food  were  great.  I  was 
obliged  to  carry  with  me  a  stock  of  corn,  sufficient  to 
supply  me  for  two  or  three  days,  for  it  frequently  hap 
pened  that  I  met  with  none  in  the  fields  for  a  long 
time.  In  the  course  of  this  period  I  crossed  innumer 
able  streams,  the  greater  portion  of  which  were  of 
small  size,  but  some  were  of  considerable  magnitude  ; 
and  in  all  of  them  the  water  had  become  almost  as 
cold  as  ice.  Sometimes  I  was  fortunate  enough  to 

find  boats  or  canoes  tied  at  the  side  of  the  streams,  and 

16 


362  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

when  this  happened,  I  always  made  free  use  of  that 
which  no  one  else  was  using  at  the  time  ;  but  this  did 
not  occur  often,  and  I  believe  that  in  these  two  weeks 
I  swam  over  nine  rivers,  or  streams,  so  deep  that  I 
could  not  ford  them.  The  number  of  creeks  and  rivu 
lets  through  which  I  waded  was  far  greater,  but  I 
cannot  now  fix  the  number. 

In  one  of  these  fine  nights,  passing  near  the  house 
of  a  planter,  I  saw  several  dry  hides  hanging  on  poles 
under  a  shed.  One  of  these  hides  I  appropriated  to 
myself,  for  the  purpose  of  converting  it  into  moccasins, 
to  supply  the  place  of  my  boots,  which  were  totally 
worthless.  By  beating  the  dry  hide  with  a  stick  it 
was  made  sufficiently  pliable  to  bear  making  it  into 
moccasins  ;  of  which  I  made  for  myself  three  pair, 
wearing  one,  and  carrying  the  others  on  my  back.  . 

One  day  as  I  lay  in  a  pine  thicket,  several  pigs 
which  appeared  to  be  wild,  having  no  marks  on  their 
ears,  came  near  me,  and  one  of  them  approached  so 
close  without  seeing  me,  that  I  knocked  it  down  with  a 
stone,  and  succeeded  in  killing  it.  This  pig  was  very 
fat,  and  would  have  weighed  thirty  if  not  forty  pounds. 
Feeling  now  greatly  exhausted  with  the  fatigues  that 
I  had  lately  undergone,  and  being  in  a  very  great 
forest,  far  removed  from  white  inhabitants,  I  resolved 
to  remain  a  few  days  in  this  place,  to  regale  myself 
with  the  flesh  of  the  pig,  which  I  preserved  by  hang- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  3b3 


ing  it  up  in  the  shade,  after  cutting  it  iuto  pieces. 
Fortune,  so  adverse  to  me  heretofore,  seemed  to  have 
been  more  kind  to  me  at  this  time,  for  the  very  night 
succeeding  the  day  on  which  I  killed  the  pig,  a  storm 
of  hail,  snow,  and  sleet,  came  on,  and  continued  fifteen 
or  sixteen  hours.  The  snow  lay  on  the  ground  four 
inches  in  depth,  and  the  whole  country  was  covered 
with  a  crust  almost  hard  enough  to  bear  a  man.  In 
this  state  of  the  weather  I  could  not  travel,  and  my 
stock  of  pork  was  invaluable  to  me.  The  pork  was 
frozen  where  it  hung  on  the  branches  of  the  trees,  and 
was  as  well  preserved  as  if  it  had  been  buried  in  snow  ; 
but  on  the  "fourth  day  after  the  snow  fell,  the  atmos 
phere  underwent  a  great  change.  The  wind  blew 
from  the  South,  the  snow  melted  away,  the  air  be 
came  warm,  and  the  sun  shone  with  the  brightness, 
and  almost  with  the  warmth  of  Spring.  It  was  man 
ifest  that  my  pork,  which  was  now  soft  and  oily,  would 
not  long  be  in  a  sound  state.  If  I  remained  here,  my 
provisions  would  become  putrid  on  my  hands  in  a  short 
time,  and  compel  me  to  quit  my  residence  to  avoid  the 
atmosphere  of  the  place. 

I  resolved  to  pursue  my  journey,  and  prepared  my 
self,  by  roasting  before  the  fire,  all  my  pork  that  was 
left,  wrapping  it  up  carefully  in  green  pine  leaves,  and 
enveloping  the  whole  in  a  sort  of  close  basket,  that  I 
made  of  small  boughs  of  trees.  Equipping  myself  for 


364  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

my  journey  with  my  meat  in  my  knapsack,  I  again 
took  to  the  woods,  with  the  stars  for  my  guide,  keep 
ing  the  north-star  over  my  left  eye. 

The  weather  had  now  become  exceedingly  variable, 
and  I  was  seldom  able  to  travel  more  than  half  of  the 
night.  The  fields  were  muddy,  the  low  grounds  in  the 
woods  were  wet,  and  often  covered  with  water,  through 
which  I  was  obliged  to  wade — the  air  was  damp  and 
cold  by  day,  the  nights  were  frosty,  very  often  cover 
ing  the  water  with  ice  an  inch  in  thickness.  From 
the  great  degree  of  cold  that  prevailed,  I  inferred, 
either  that  I  was  pretty  far  North,  or  that  I  had  ad 
vanced  too  much  to  the  left,  and  was  approaching  the 
mountain  country. 

To  satisfy  myself  as  far  as  possible  of  my  situation, 
one  fair  day,  when  the  sky  was  very  clear,  I  climbed 
to  the  top  of  a  pine  tree  that  stood  on  the  summit  of 
a  hill,  and  took  a  wide  survey  of  the  region  around  me. 
Eastward,  I  saw  nothing  but  a  vast  continuation  of 
plantations,  intervened  by  forests  ;  on  the  South,  the 
faint  beams  of  a  winter  sun  shed  a  soft  lustre  over  the 
woods,  which  were  dotted  at  remote  distances,  with 
the  habitations  of  men,  and  the  openings  that  they 
had  made  in  the  green  champaign  of  the  endless  pine- 
groves,  that  nature  had  planted  in  the  direction  of  the 
midday  sun.  On  the  North,  at  a  great  distance,  I  saw 
a  tract  of  low  and  flat  country,  which  in  my  epinion 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          36 .» 

was  the  vale  of  some  great  river,  and  beyond  this,  at 
the  farthest  stretch  of  vision,  the  eye  was  lost  in  the 
blue  transparent  vault,  where  the  extremity  of  the  arch 
of  the  wcrld  touches  the  abode  of  perpetual  winter. — 
Turning  westward,  the  view  passed  beyond  the  region 
of  pine  trees,  which  was  followed  afar  off  by  naked 
and  leafless  oaks,  hickories,  and  walnuts  ;  and  still 
beyond  these  rose  high  in  air,  elevated  tracts  of  coun 
try,  clad  in  the  white  livery  of  snow,  and  bearing  the 
impress  of  mid- winter. 

It  was  now  apparent  that  I  had  borne  too  far  west 
ward,  and  was  within  a  few  days'  travel  of  the  moun 
tains.  Descending  from  my  observations,  I  determined 
on  the  return  of  night  to  shape  my  course,  for  the 
future,  nearly  due  East,  until  I  should  at  least  be  out 
of  the  mountains. 

According  to  my  calendar,  it  was  the  day  before 
Christmas  that  I  ascended  the  pine-tree  ;  and  I  be 
lieve  I  was  at  that  time  in  the  north-western  part  oi 
North  Carolina,  not  far  from  the  banks  of  the  Yadkin 
river.  On  the  following  night  I  traveled  from  dark 
until,  as  I  supposed,  about  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when  I  came  to  a  road  which  led  as  I  thought 
in  an  easterly  direction.  This  road  I  traveled  until 
daylight,  and  encamped  near  it  in  an  old  field,  over 
grown  with  young  pines  and  holly-trees. 

This  WHS  Christmas-day,  and  I  celebrated  it  by 


366  Fifty  Years  in  OJiains  ;  or, 

breakfasting  on  fat  pork,  without  salt,  and  substituted 
parched  corn  for  bread.  In  the  evening,  the  weather 
became  cloudy  and  cold,  and  when  night  came  it  was 
so  dark  that  I  found  difficulty  in  keeping  in  the  road, 
at  some  points  where  it  made  short  angles.  Before 
midnight  it  began  to  snow,  and  at  break  of  day  the 
snow  lay  more  than  a  foot  deep.  This  compelled  me 
to  seek  winter  quarters  ;  and  fortunately,  at  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  road,  I  found,  on  the  side  of  a 
steep  hill,  a  shelving  rock  that  formed  a  dry  covert, 
with  a  southern  prospect. 

Under  this  rock  I  took  refuge,  and  kindling  a  fire  of 
dry  sticks,  considered  myself  happy  to  possess  a  few 
pounds  of  my  roasted  pork,  and  more  than  half  a  gal 
lon  of  corn  that  I  carried  in  my  pockets.  The  snow 
continued  falling,  until  it  was  full  two  feet  deep  around 
me,  and  the  danger  of  exposing  myself  to  discovery  by 
my  tracks  in  the  snow,  compelled  me  to  keep  close  to 
my  hiding  place  until  the  third  day,  when  I  ventured 
to  go  back  to  the  road,  which  I  found  broken  by  the 
passage  of  numerous  wagons,  sleds  and  horses,  and  so 
much  beaten  that  J  could  travel  it  with  ease  at  night, 
the  snow  affording  good  light. 

Accordingly  at  night  I  again  advanced  on  my  way, 
which  indeed  I  was  obliged  to  do,  for  my  corn  was 
quite  gone,  and  not  more  than  a  pound  of  my  pork  re 
mained  to  me.  I  traveled  hard  through  the  night, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.         367 

and  after  the  morning  star  rose,  came  to  a  river,  which 
I  think  must  have  been  the  Yadkin.  It  appeared  to 
be  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  the  water  ran 
with  great  rapidity  in  it. 

Waiting  until  the  eastern  horizon  was  tinged  with 
the  first  rays  of  the  morning  light,  I  entered  the  river 
at  the  ford,  and  waded  until  the  water  was  nearly 
three  feet  deep,  when  it  felt  as  if  it  was  cutting  the 
flesh  from  the  bones  of  my  limbs,  and  a  large  cake  of 
ice  floating  downward,  forced  me  off  my  balance,  and 
I  was  near  falling.  My  courage  failed  me,  and  I  re 
turned  to  the  shore  ;  but  found  the  pain  that  already 
tormented  me  greatly  increased,  when  I  was  out  of 
the  water,  and  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  open  air. 
Returning  to  the  river,  I  plunged  into  the  current  to 
relieve  me  from  the  pinching  frost,  that  gnawed  every 
part  of  my  skin  that  had  become  wet ;  and  rushing 
forward  as  fast  as  the  weight  of  the  water,  that  pressed 
me  downward,  would  penm*t,  was  soon  up  to  my  chin 
in  melted  ice,  when  rising  to  the  surface,  I  exerted  my 
utmost  strength  and  skill  to  gain  the  opposite  shore 
by  swimming  in  the  shortest  space  of  time.  At  every 
stroke  of  my  arms  and  legs,  they  were  cut  and  bruised 
by  cakes  of  solid  ice,  or  weighed  down  by  floating 
masses  of  congealed  snow. 

It  is  impossible  for  human  life  to  be  long  sustained 
in  such  an  element  as  that  which  encompassed  me  ; 


368  "Fifty  Yeats  in  Chains  ;  or, 

and  I  had  not  been  afloat  five  minutes  before  I  feit 
chilled  in  all  my  members,  and  in  less  than  the  double 
of  that  time,  my  limbs  felt  numbed,  and  my  hands 
became  stiff,  and  almost  powerless. 

When  at  the  distance  of  thirty  feet  from  the  shore, 
my  body  was  struck  by  a  violent  current,  produced  by 
a  projecting  rock  above  me,  and  driven  with  resistless 
violence  down  the  stream.  Wholly  unable  to  contend 
with  the  fury  of  the  waves,  and  penetrated  by  the 
coldness  of  death,  in  my  inmost  vitals,  I  gave  myself 
up  for  lost,  and  was  commending  my  soul  to  God, 
whom  I  expected  to  be  my  immediate  Judge,  when  I 
perceived  the  long  hanging  branch  of  a  large  tree, 
sweeping  to  and  fro,  and  undulating  backward  and 
forward,  as  its  extremities  were  washed  by  the  surging 
current  of  the  river,  just  below  me.  In  a  moment  I 
was  in  contact  with  the  tree,  and  making  the  effort  of 
despair,  seized  one  of  its  limbs.  Bowed  down  by  the 
weight  of  my  body,  the  b&inch  yielded  to  the  power 
of  the  water,  which  rushing  against  my  person,  swept 
me  round  like  the  quadrant  of  a  circle,  and  dashed 
me  against  the  shore,  where  clinging  to  some  roots 
that  grew  near  the  bank,  the  limb  of  the  tree  left  me, 
and  springing  with  elastic  force  to  its  former  position, 
again  dipped  its  slender  branches  in  the  mad  stream. 

Crawling  out  of  the  water,  and  being  once  more  on 
dry  land,  I  found  my  circumstances  little  less  desperate 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          369 

than  when  I  was  struggling  with  the  floating  ice. — » 
The  morning  was  frosty,  and  icicles  hung  in  long  pen- 
,dant  groups  from  the  trees  along  the  shore  of  the  river 
and  the  hoar  frost  glistened  in  sparkling  radiance  upon 
the  polished  surface  of  the  smooth  snow,  as  it  whiten 
ed  all  the  plain  before  me,  and  spread  its  chill  but 
beautiful  covering  through  the  woods. 

There  were  three  alternatives  before  me,  one  oi 
which  I  knew  must  quickly  be  adopted.  The  one  was 
to  obtain  a  fire,  by  which  I  could  dry  and  warm  my 
stiffened  limbs  ;  the  second  was  to  die,  without  the 
fire  ;  the  third,  to  go  to  the  first  house,  if  I  could 
reach  one,  and  surrender  myself  as  a  runaway  slave. 

Staggering,  rather  than  walking  forward,  until  I 
gained  the  cover  of  a  wood,  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  river,  I  turned  into  it,  and  found  that  a  field  bor 
dered  the  wood  within  less  than  twenty  rods  of  the 
road.  Within  a  few  yards  of  this  fence  I  stopped,  and 
taking  out  my  fire  apparatus,  to  my  unspeakable  joy 
found  them  dry  and  in  perfect  safety.  With  the  aid 
of  my  punk,  and  some  dry  moss  gathered  from  the 
fence,  a  small  flame  was  obtained,  to  which  dry  leaves 
being  added  from  the  boughs  of  a  white  oak  tree,  that 
had  fallen  before  the  frost  of  the  last  autumn  had 
commenced,  I  soon  had  fire  of  sufficient  intensity  tc 
consume  dry  wood,  with  which  I  supplied  it,  partly 

from  the  fence  and  partly  from  the  branches  of  the 

1C* 


370  Fifty   Years  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

fallen  tree.  Having  raked  away  the  snow  from  about 
the  fire,  by  the  time  the  sun  was  up,  my  frozen  clothes 
were  smoking  before  the  coals — warming  first  one  side 
and  then  the  other — I  felt  the  glow  of  returning  life 
once  more  invigorating  my  blood,  and  giving  anima 
tion  to  my  frozen  limbs. 

The  public  road  was  near  me  on  one  hand,  and  an 
enclosed  field  was  before  me  on  the  other,  but  in  my 
present  condition  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  leave 
this  place  to-day,  without  danger  of  perishing  in  the 
woods,  or  of  being  arrested  on  the  road. 

As  evening  came  on,  the  air  became  much  colder 
than  it  was  in  the  forenoon,  and  after  night  the  wind 
rose  high  and  blew  from  the  northwest,  with  intense 
keenness.  My  limbs  were  yet  stiff  from  the  effects  of 
my  morning  adventure,  and  to  complete  my  distress  I 
was  totally  without  provisions,  having  left  a  few  ears 
of  corn,  that  I  had  in  my  pocket,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river. 

Leaving  my  fire  in  the  night,  and  advancing  into  the 
field  near  me,  I  discovered  a  house  at  some  distance, 
and  as  there  was  no  light,  or  sign  of  fire  about  it,  I 
determined  to  reconnoitre  the  premises,  which  turned 
out  to  be  a  small  barn,  standing  alone,  with  no  other 
inhabitants  about  it  than  a  few  cattle  and  a  flock  of 
sheep.  After  much  trouble,  I  succeeded  in  entering 
the  barn  by  starting  the  nails  that  confined  one  of  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  371 

boards  at  the  corner.  Entering  the  house  I  found  it 
nearly  filled  with  corn,  in  the  husks,  and  some  from 
which  the  husks  had  been  removed,  was  lying  in  a 
heap  in  one  corner. 

Into  these  husks  I  crawled,  and  covering  myself 
deeply  under  them,  soon  became  warm,  and  fell  into  a 
profound  sleep,  from  which  I  was  awakened  by  the 
noise  of  people  walking  about  in  the  barn  and  talking 
of  the  cattle  and  sheep,  which  it  appeared  they  had 
come  to  feed,  for  they  soon  commenced  working  in  the 
corn  husks  with  which  I  was  covered,  and  throwing 
them  out  to  the  cattle.  I  expected  at  every  moment 
that  they  would  uncover  me  ;  but  fortunately  before 
they  saw  me,  they  ceased  their  operations,  and  went  to 
work,  some  husking  corn,  and  throwing  the  husks  on 
the  pile  over  me,  while  others  were  employed  in  load 
ing  the  husked  corn  into  carts,  as  I  learned  by  theii 
conversation,  and  hauling  it.  away  to  the  house.  The 
people  continued  working  in  the  bam  all  day,  and  in 
the  evening  gave  more  husks  to  the  cattle  and  went 
home. 

Waiting  two  or  three  hours  after  my  visiters  were 
gone,  I  rose  from  the  pile  of  husks,  and  filling  my 
pockets  with  ears  of  corn,  issued  from  the  barn  at  the 
same  place  by  which  I  had  entered  it,  and  returned  to 
the  woods,  where  I  kindled  a  fire  in  a  pine  thicket, 
and  parched  *nore  than  half  a  gaJon  of  corn.  Before 


372  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

day  I  returned  to  the  barn,  and  again  secreted  myself 
in  the  corn  husks.  In  the  morning  the  people  again 
returned  to  their  work,  and  husked  corn  until  the  even 
ing.  At  night  I  again  repaired  to  the  woods,  and 
parched  more  corn.  In  this  manner  I  passed  more 
than  a  month,  lying  in  the  barn  all  day,  and  going  to 
the  woods  at  night ;  but  at  length  the  corn  was  all 
husked,  and  I  watched  daily  the  progress  that  was 
made  in  feeding  the  cattle  with  the  husks,  knowing 
that  I  must  quit  my  winter  retreat  before  the  husks 
were  exhausted.  Before  the  husked  corn  was  removed 
from  the  barn,  I  had  conveyed  several  bushels  of  the 
ears  into  the  husks,  near  my  bed,  and  concealed  them 
for  my  winter's  stock. 

Whilst  I  lay  in  this  barn  there  were  frequent  and 
great  changes  of  weather.  The  snow  that  covered  the 
earth  to  the  depth  of  two  feet  when  I  came  here,  did 
not  remain  more  than  ten  days,  and  was  succeeded  by 
more  than  a  week  of  warm  rainy  weather,  which  was 
in  turn  succeeded  by  several  days  of  dry  weather,  with 
cold  high  winds  from  the  North.  The  month  of  Feb 
ruary  was  cloudy  and  damp,  with  several  squalls  of 
snow  and  frequent  rains.  About  the  first  of  March, 
the  atmosphere  became  clear  and  dry,  and  the  winds 
boisterous  from  the  West. 

On  the  third  of  this  month,  having  filled  my  little 
bag  and  all  my  pockets  with  parched  corn,  I  quitted 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          373 

my  winter  quarters  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and 
again  proceeded  on  my  way  to  the  North,  leaving  a 
large  heap  of  corn  husks  still  lying  in  the  corner  of 
the  barn. 

On  leaving  this  place,  I  again  pursued  the  road  that 
had  led  me  to  it  for  several  nights  ;  crossing  many 
small  streams  in  my  way,  all  of  which  I  was  able  to 
pass  without  swimming,  though  several  of  them  were 
so  deep  that  they  wet  me  as  high  as  my  arm-pits. — 
This  road  led  nearly  northeast,  and  was  the  only  road 
that  I  had  fallen  in  with,  since  I  left  Georgia,  that 
had  maintained  that  direction  for  so  great  a  distance. 
Nothing  extraordinary  befell  me  until  the  twelfth  of 
March,  when  venturing  to  turn  out  earlier  than  usual 
in  the  evening,  and  proceeding  along  the  road,  I  found 
that  my  way  led  me  down  a  hill,  along  the  side  of 
which  the  road  had  been  cut  into  the  earth  ten  or 
twelve  feet  in  depth,  having  steep  banks  on  each  side, 
which  were  now  so  damp  and  slippery  that  it  was  im 
possible  for  a  man  to  ascend  either  the  one  or  the  other. 

Whilst  in  this  narrow  place,  I  heard  the  sound  of 
horses  proceeding  up  the  hill  to  meet  me.  Stopping 
to  listen,  in  a  moment  almost  two  horsemen  were  close 
before  me,  trotting  up  the  road.  To  escape  on  either 
hand  was  impossible,  and  to  retreat  backwards  would 
have  exposed  me  to  certain  destruction.  Only  one 
means  of  salvation  was  left,  and  I  embraced  it.  Near 


374  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

the  place  where  I  stood,  was  a  deep  gully  cut  in  one 
side  of  the  road,  by  the  water  which  had  run  down 
here  in  time  of  rains.  Into  this  gully  I  threw  myself, 
and  lying  down  close  to  the  ground,  the  horsemen  rode 
almost  over  me,  and  passed  on.  When  they  were  gone 
I  arose,  and  descending  the  hill,  found  a  river  before  me. 

In  crossing  this  stream  I  was  compelled  to  swim  at 
least  two  hundred  yards  ;  and  found  the  cold  so  op 
pressive,  after  coming  out  of  the  water,  that  I  was 
forced  to  stop  at  the  first  thick  woods  that  I  could  find 
and  make  a  fire  to  dry  myself.  I  did  not  move  again 
until  the  next  night  ;  and  on  the  fourth  night  after 
this,  came  to  a  great  river,  which  I  suppose  was  the 
Boanoke.  I  was  obliged  to  swim  this  stream,  and 
was  carried  a  great  way  down  by  the  rapidity  of  the 
current.  It  must  have  been  more  than  an  hour  from 
the  time  that  I  entered  the  water,  until  I  reached  the 
opposite  shore,  and  as  the  rivers  were  yet  very  cold,  I 
Buffered  greatly  at  this  place. 

Judging  by  the  aspect  of  the  country,  I  believed 
myself  to  be  at  this  time  in  Virginia  ;  and  was  now 
reduced  to  the  ^utmost  extremity  for  want  of  provisions. 
The  corn  that  I  had  parched  at  the  barn  and  brought 
with  me,  was  nearly  exhausted,  and  no  more  was  to  be 
obtained  in  the  fields  at  this  season  of  the  year.  For 
three  or  four  days  I  allowed  myself  only  my  two  hands 
full  of  parched  corn  per  day  ;  and  after  this  I  traveled 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  375 

three  days  without  tasting  food  of  any  kind  ;  but  be 
ing  nearly  exhausted  with  hunger,  I  one  night  entered 
an  old  stack-yard,  hoping  that  I  might  fall  in  with 
pigs,  or  poultry  of  some  kind.  I  found,  instead  of 
these,  a  stack  of  oats,  which  had  not  been  threshed. 
From  this  stack  I  took  as  much  oats  in  the  sheaf  as  I 
could  carry,  and  going  on  a  few  miles,  stopped  in  a 
pine  forest,  made  a  large  fire,  and  parched  at  least 
half  a  gallon  of  oats,  after  rubbing  the  grain  from  the 
straw.  After  the  grain  was  parched,  I  again  rubbed 
it  in  my  hands,  to  separate  it  from  the  husks,  and 
spent  the  night  in  feasting  on  parched  oats. 

The  weather  was  now  becoming  quite  warm,  though 
the  water  was  cold  in  the  rivers  ;  and  I  perceived  the 
farmers  had  everywhere  ploughed  their  fields,  prepa 
ratory  to  planting  corn.  Every  night  I  saw  people 
burning  brush  in  the  new  grounds  that  they  were 
clearing  of  the  wood  and  brush  ;  and  when  the  day 
came,  in  the  morning  after  I  obtained  the  oats,  I  per 
ceived  people  planting  corn  in  a  field  about  half  a 
mile  from*  my  fire.  According  to  my  computation  of 
time,  it  was  on  the  night  of  the  last  day  of  March 
that  I  obtained  the  oats  ;  and  the  appearance  of  the 
country  satisfied  me  that  I  had  not  lost  many  days  in 
my  reckoning. 

I  lay  in  this  pine-wood  two  days,  for  the  purpose 
of  recruiting  my  strength,  after  my  long  fast ;  and 


376  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

when  I  again  resumed  my  journey,  determined  to 
seek  some  large  road  leading  towards  the  North,  and 
follow  it  in  future  ;  the  one  that  I  had  been  pursuing 
of  late,  not  appearing  to  be  a  principal  high-way  of 
the  country.  For  this  purpose,  striking  off  across  the 
fields,  in  an  easterly  direction,  I  traveled  a  few  hours, 
and  was  fortunate  enough  to  come  to  a  great  road, 
which  was  manifestly  much  traveled,  leading  towards 
the  northeast. 

My  bag  was  now  replenished  with  more  than  a  gal 
lon  of  parched  oats,  and  I  had  yet  one  pair  of  mocca 
sins  made  of  raw  hide  ;  but  my  shirt  was  totally  gone, 
and  my  last  pair  of  trowsers  was  now  in  actual  service. 
A  tolerable  waistcoat  still  remained  to  me,  and  my 
great  coat,  though  full  of  honorable  scars,  was  yet 
capable  of  much  service. 

Having  resolved  to  pursue  the  road  I  was  now  in,  it 
was  necessary  again  to  resort  to  the  utmost  degree  of 
caution  to  prevent  surprise.  Traveling  only  after  it 
was  dark,  and  taking  care  to  stop  before  the  appear 
ance  of  day,  my  progress  was  not  rapid,  but  my  safety 
was  preserved. 

The  acquisition  of  food  had  now  become  difficult, 
and  when  my  oats  began  to  fail,  I  resorted  to  the  dan 
gerous  expedient  of  attacking  the  corn-crib  of  a  plan 
ter  that  was  near  the  road.  The  house  was  built  of 
round  logs,  ind  was  covered  with  boards.  One  of  these 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  377 

boards  I  succeeded  in  removing,  on  the  side  of  the  crib 
opposite  from  the  dwelling,  and  by  thrusting  my  arm 
downwards,  was  able  to  reach  the  corn — of  which  I 
took  as  much  as  filled  my  bag,  the  pockets  of  my  great 
coat,  and  a  large  handkerchief  that  I  had  preserved 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  my  journey.  This  op 
portune  supply  of  corn  furnished  me  with  food  more 
than  a  week,  and  before  it  was  consumed  I  reached  the 
Appomattox  river,  which  I  crossed  in  a  canoe  that  I 
found  tied  at  the  shore,  a  few  miles  above  the  town  of 
Petersburg.  Having  approached  Petersburg  in  the 
night,  I  was  afraid  to  attempt  to  pass  through  it,  lest 
the  patrol  should  fall  in  with  me  ;  and  turning  to  the 
left  through  the  country,  reached  the  river,  and  cross 
ed  in  safety. 

The  great  road  leading  to  Kichmond  is  so  distin- 
guishingly  marked  above  the  other  ways  in  this  part 
of  Virginia,  that  there  was  no  difficulty  in  following 
it,  and  on  the  third  night  after  passing  Petersburg,  I 
obtained  a  sight  of  the  capitol  of  Yirginia.  It  was 
only  a  little  after  midnight,  when  the  city  presented 
itself  to  my  sight  ;  but  here,  as  well  as  at  Petersburg, 
I  was  afraid  to  attempt  to  go  through  the  town,  under 
cover  of  the  darkness,  because  of  the  patrol.  Turning, 
therefore,  back  into  a  forest,  about  two  miles  from  the 
small  town  on  the  south-side  of  the  river,  I  lay  there 
until  after  twelve  o'clock  in  tbe  day,  when  loosening 


378  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

the  package  from  my  back,  and  taking  it  in  my  hand 
in  the  form  of  a  bundle,  I  advanced  into  the  village, 
as  if  I  had  only  come  from  some  plantation  in  the 
neighborhood. 

This  was  on  Sunday,  I  believe,  though  according  to 
my  computation  it  was  Monday  ;  but  it  must  have 
been  Sunday,  for  the  village  was  quiet,  and  in  passing 
it  I  only  saw  two  or  three  persons,  whom  I  passed  as 
if  I  had  not  seen  them.  No  one  spoke  to  me,  and  I 
gained  the  bridge  in  safety,  and  crossed  it  without 
attracting  the  least  attention. 

Entering  the  city  of  Eichmond,  I  kept  along  the 
principal  street,  walking  at  a  slow  pace,  and  turning 
my  head  from  side  to  side,  as  if  much  attracted  by  the 
objects  around  me,  Few  persons  were  in  the  street, 
and  I  was  careful  to  appear  more  attentive  to  the 
houses  than  to  the  people.  At  the  upper  end  of  the 
city  I  saw  a  great  crowd  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  who 
were,  I  believe,  returning  from  church.  Whilst  these 
people  were  passing  me,  I  stood  in  the  street,  on  the 
outside  of  the  foot  pavement,  with  my  face  turned  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  They  all  went  by  with 
out  taking  any  notice  of  me  ;  and  when  they  were  gone, 
I  again  resumed  my  leisure  walk  along  the  pavement, 
and  reached  the  utmost  limit  of  the  town  without 
being  accosted  by  any  one.  As  soon  as  I  was  clear  of 
the  city  I  quickened  my  pace,  assumed  the  air  of  a 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          379 

man  in  great  haste,  sometimes  actually  ran,  and  in 
less  than  an  hour  was  safely  lodged  in  the  thickest 
part  of  the  woods  that  lay  on  the  North  of  Kichmond, 
and  full  four  miles  from  the  river.  This  was  the  bold 
est  exploit  that  I  had  performed  since  leaving  my 
mistress,  except  the  visit  I  paid  to  the  gentleman  in 
Georgia. 

My  corn  was  now  failing,  but  as  I  had  once  entered 
a  crib  secretly,  I  felt  but  little  apprehension  on  account 
of  future  supplies.  After  this  time  I  never  wanted 
corn,  and  did  not  again  suffer  by  hunger,  until  I  reached 
the  place  of  my  nativity. 

After  leaving  Kichmond,  I  again  kept  along  the 
great  road  by  which  I  had  traveled  on  my  way  South, 
taking  great  care  not  to  expose  my  person  unnecessarily. 
For  several  nights  I  saw  no  white  people  on  the  way, 
but  was  often  met  by  black  ones,  whom  I  avoided  by 
turning  out  of  the  road  ;  but  one  moonlight  night, 
five  or  six  days  after  I  left  Kichmond,  a  man  stepped 
out  of  the  woods  almost  at  my  side,  and  accosting  me 
in  a  familiar  manner,  asked  me  which  way  I  was  travel 
ing,  how  long  I  had  been  on  the  road,  and  made  many 
inquiries  concerning  the  course  of  my  late  journey. 
This  man  was  a  mulatto,  and  carried  a  heavy  cane,  or 
rather  club,  in  his  hand.  I  did  not  like  his  appear 
ance,  and  the  idea  of  a  familiar  conversation  with  any 
one  seemed  to  terrify  me.  I  determined  to  watch  my 


380  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

companion,  closely,  and  he  appeared  equally  intent  on 
observing  me  ;  but  at  the  same  time  that  he  talked 
with  me,  he  was  constantly  drawing  closer  to  and  fol 
lowing  behind  me.  This  conduct  increased  my  suspi 
cion,  and  I  began  to  wish  to  get  rid  of  him,  but  could 
not  at  the  moment  imagine  how  I  should  effect  my 
purpose.  To  avoid  him,  I  crossed  the  road  several 
times  ;  but  still  he  followed  me  closely.  The  moon, 
which  shone  brightly  upon  our  backs,  cast  his  shadow 
far  before  me,  and  enabled  me  to  perceive  his  motions 
with  the  utmost  accuracy,  without  turning  my  head 
towards  him.  He  carried  his  club  under  his  left  arm, 
and  at  length  raised  his  right  hand  gently,  took  the 
stick  by  the  end,  and  drawing  it  slowly  over  his  head, 
was  in  the  very  act  of  striking  a  blow  at  me,  whenx 
springing  backward,  and  raising  my  own  staff  at  the 
same  moment,  I  brought  him  to  the  ground  by  a  stroke 
on  his  forehead  ;  and  when  I  had  him  down,  beat  him 
over  the  back  and  sides  with  my  weapon,  until  he 
roared  for  mercy,  and  begged  me  not  to  kill  him.  I 
left  him  in  no  condition  to  pursue  me,  and  hastened 
on  my  way,  resolved  to  get  as  far  from  him  before  day 
as  my  legs  would  carry  me. 

This  man  was  undoubtedly  one  of  those  wretches 
who  are  employed  by  white  men  to  kidnap  and  betray 
such  unfortunate  people  of  color  as  may  chance  to  fall 
into  their  hands  but  for  once  the  deceiver  was  de- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  381 

ceived,  and  he  who  intended  to  make  prey  of  me,  had 
well  nigh  fallen  a  sacrifice  himself. 

The  same  night  I  crossed  the  Pammunky  river,  near 
the  village  of  Hanover  by  swimming,  and  secreted  my 
self  before  day  in  a  dense  cedar  thicket.  The  next 
night,  after  I  had  traveled  several  miles,  in  ascending 
a,  hill  I  saw  the  head  of  a  man  rise  on  the  opposite 
side,  without  having  heard  any  noise.  I  instantly  ran 
into  the  woods,  and  concealed  myself  behind  a  large 
tree.  The  traveler  was  on  horseback,  and  the  road 
being  sandy,  and  his  horse  moving  only  at  a  walk,  I 
had  not  heard  his  approach  until  I  saw  him.  He  also 
saw  me  ;  for  when  he  came  opposite  the  place  where 
I  stood,  he  stopped  his  horse  in  the  road,  and  desired 
me  to  tell  him  how  far  it  was  to  some  place,  the  name 
of  which  I  have  forgotten.  As  I  made  no  answer,  he 
again  repeated  the  inquiry  ;  and  then  said,  I  need  not 
be  afraid  to  speak,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  hurt  me  ;  but 
no  answer  being  given  him,  he  at  last  said  I  might  as 
well  speak,  and  rode  on. 

Before  day  I  reached  the  Matapony  river,  and  cross 
ed  it  by  wading  ;  but  knowing  that  I  was  not  far  from 
Maryland,  I  fell  into  a  great  indiscretion,  and  forgot 
the  wariness  and  caution  that  had  enabled  me  to  over 
come  obstacles  apparently  insurmountable.  Anxious 
to  get  forward,  I  neglected  to  conceal  myself  before 
day  ;  but  traveled  until  daybreak  before  I  sought  a 


382  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 


place  of  concealment,  and  unfortunately,  when  I  looked 
for  a  hiding  place,  none  was  at  hand.  This  compelled 
me  to  keep  on  the  road,  until  gray  twilight,  for  the 
purpose  of  reaching  a  wood  that  was  in  view  before 
me  ;  but  to  gain  this  wood  I  was  obliged  to  pass  a 
house  that  stood  at  the  road  side,  and  when  only  about 
fifty  yards  beyond  the  house,  a  white  man  opened  the 
door,  and  seeing  me  in  the  road,  called  to  me  to  stop. 
As  this  order  was  not  obeyed,  he  set  his  dog  upon  me. 
The  dog  was  quickly  vanquished  by  my  stick,  and  set 
ting  off  to  run  at  full  speed,  I  at  the  same  moment 
heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and  received  its  contents  in 
my  legs,  chiefly  about,  and  in  my  hams.  I  fell  on  the 
road,  and  was  soon  surrounded  by  several  persons,  who 
it  appeared  were  a  party  of  patrollers,  who  had  gath 
ered  together  in  this  house.  They  ordered  me  to  cross 
my  hands,  which  order  not  being  immediately  obeyed, 
they  beat  me  with  sticks  and  stones  until  I  was  almost 
senseless,  and  entirely  unable  to  make  resistance. — 
They  then  bound  me  with  cords,  and  dragged  me  by 
the  feet  back  to  the  house,  and  threw  me  into  the 
kitchen,  like  a  dead  dog.  One  of  my  eyes  was  almost 
beaten  out,  and  the  blood  was  running  from  my  mouth, 
nose  and  ears  ;  but  in  this  condition  they  refused  to 
wash  the  blood  from  my  face,  or  even  to  give  me  a 
drink  of  water. 

Jn  a  short  time  a  justice  of  the  peace  arrived,  and 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          383 

when  he  looked  at  me,  ordered  me  to  be  unbc  and,  and 
to  have  water  to  wash  myself,  and  also  some  bread  to 
eat.  This  man's  heart  appeared  not  to  be  altogether 
void  of  sensibility,  for  he  reprimanded  in  harsh  terms 
those  who  had  beaten  me  ;  told  them  that  their  con 
duct  was  brutal,  and  that  it  would  hr/ve  been  more 
humane  to  kill  me  outright,  than  to  bruise  and  man 
gle  me  in  the  manner  they  had  done. 

He  then  interrogated  me  as  to  my  name,  place  of 
abode,  and  place  of  destination,  and  afterwards  de 
manded  the  name  of  my  master.  To  all  these  inqui 
ries  I  made  no  reply,  except  that  I  was  going  to  Mary 
land,  where  I  lived.  The  justice  told  me  it  was  his 
duty  under  the  law  to  send  me  to  jail ;  and  I  was  im 
mediately  put  into  a  cart,  and  carried  to  a  small  vil 
lage  called  Bowling  Green,  which  I  reached  before 
ten  o'clock. 

There  I  was  locked  up  in  the  jail,  and  a  doctoi 
came  to  examine  my  legs,  and  extract  the  shot  from 
my  wounds.  In  the  course  of  the  operation  he  took 
out  thirty-four  buck  shot,  and  after  dressing  my  legs 
left  me  to  my  own  reflections.  No  fever  followed  in 
the  train  of  my  disasters,  which  I  attributed  to  the 
reduced  state  of  my  blood,  by  long  fasting,  and  the 
fatigues  I  had  undergone. 

In  th3  afternoon,  the  jailer  came  to  see  me,  and 
brought  my  daily  allowance  of  provisions,  and  a  jug  of 


384  Fifty  Years  In  Chains  ;  or, 

water.  The  provisions  consisted  of  more  than  a  pound 
of  corn-bread  and  some  boiled  bacon.  As  my  appetite 
was  good,  I  immediately  devoured  more  than  two- 
fhirds  of  this  food,  but  reserved  the  rest  for  supper. 

For  several  days  I  was  not  able  to  stand,  and  in  this 
period  found  great  difficulty  in  performing  the  ordi 
nary  offices  of  life  for  myself,  no  one  coming  to  give 
me  any  aid  ;  but  I  did  not  suffer  for  want  of  food,  the 
daily  allowance  of  the  jailer  being  quite  sufficient  to 
appease  the  cravings  of  hunger.  After  I  grew  better, 
and  was  able  to  walk  in  the  jail,  the  jailer  frequently 
called  to  see  me,  and  endeavored  to  prevail  on  me  to 
tell  where  1  came  from  ;  but  in  this  undertaking  ho 
was  no  more  successful  than  the  justice  had  been  in 
the  same  business. 

I  remained  in  the  jail  more  than  a  month,  and  iu 
this  time  became  quite  fat  and  strong,  but  saw  no  way 
oy  which  I  could  escape.  The  jail  was  of  brick,  the 
floors  were  of  solid  oak  boards,  and  the  door,  of  the 
same  material,  was  secured  by  iron  bolts,  let  into  its 
posts,  and  connected  together  by  a  strong  band  of 
iron,  reaching  from  the  one  to  the  other. 

Every  thing  appeared  sound  and  strong,  and  to  add 
to  my  security,  my  feet  were  chained  together,  from 
the  time  my  wounds  were  healed.  This  chain  I  ac 
quired  the  knowledge  of  removing  from  my  feet,  by 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          385 

working  out  of  its  socket  a  small  iron  pin  that  secured 
the  bolt  that  held  the  chain  round  one  of  my  legs. 

The  jailer  came  to  see  me  with  great  regularity, 
every  morning  and  evening,  but  remained  only  a  few 
minutes  when  he  came;  leaving  me  entirely  alone  at 
all  other  times. 

When  I  had  been  in  prison  thirty-nine  days,  and 
had  quite  recovered  from  the  wounds  that  I  had  re 
ceived,  the  jailer  was  late  in  coming  to  me  with  my 
breakfast,  and  going  to  the  door  I  began  to  beat 
against  it  with  my  fist,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
noise.  After  beating  some  time  against  the  door  I 
happened,  by  mere  accident,  to  strike  my  fist  against 
one  of  the  posts,  which,  to  my  surprise,  I  discovered  by 
its  sound,  to  be  a  mere  hollow  shell,  encrusted  with  a 
thin  coat  of  sound  timber,  and  as  I  struck  it,  the  rotten 
wood  crumbled  to  pieces  within.  On  a  more  careful 
examination  of  this  post,  I  became  satisfied  that  I 
could  easily  split  it  to  pieces,  by  the  aid  of  the  iron 
bolt  that  confined  my  feet.  The  jailer  came  with  my 
breakfast,  and  reprimanded  me  for  making  a  noise. 
This  day  appeared  as  long  to  me,  as  a  week  had  done 
heretofore  ;  but  iright  came  at  length,  and  as  soon  as 
the  room  in  which  I  was  confined,  had  become  quite 
dark,  I  disentangled  myself  from  the  irons  with  which 
I  was  bound,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  long  bolt,  easily 

wrenched  from  its  place  the  large  staple  that  held  one 

17 


386  Fifty  Yea  s  in  Chains  ;  or, 

end  of  the  bar,  that  lay  across  the  door.  The  hasps 
that  held  the  lock  in  its  place;  were  drawn  away  almost 
without  force,  and  the  door  swung  open  of  its  own 
weight. 

1  now  walked  out  into  the  jail-yard,  and  found  that 
all  was  quiet,  and  that  only  a  few  lights  were  burning 
in  the  village  windows.  At  first  I  walked  slowly  along 
the  road,  but  soon  quickened  my  pace,  and  ran  along 
the  high- way,  until  I  was  more  than  a  mile  from  the 
jail,  then  taking  to  the  woods,  I  traveled  all  night,  in 
a  northern  direction.  At  the  approach  of  day  I  con 
cealed  myself  in  a  cedar  thicket,  where  I  lay  until  the 
next  evening,  without  any  thing  to  eat. 

On  the  second  night  after  my  escape,  I  crossed  the 
Potomac,  at  Hoe's  ferry,  in  a  small  boat  that  I  found 
tied  at  the  side  of  the  ferry  flat ;  and  on  the  night 
following  crossed  the  Patuxent,  in  a  canoe,  which  I 
found  chained  at  the  shore. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  came  to  the 
door  of  my  wife's  cabin,  and  stood  there,  I  believe, 
more  than  five  minutes,  before  I  could  summon  suffi 
cient  fortitude  to  knock.  I  at  length  rapped  lightly  on 
the  door,  and  was  immediately  asked,  in  the  well- 
known  voice  of  my  wife,  "  Who  is  there  ?" — I  replied 
"  Charles/  She  then  came  to  the  door,  and  opening 
it  slowly,  said,  "  Who  is  this  that  speaks  so  much  like 
my  husband  ?"  I  then  rushed  into  the  cabin  and  made 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          387 

myself  known  to  her,  but  it  was  some  time  before  I 
could  convince  her,  that  I  was  really  her  husband,  re 
turned  from  Georgia.  The  children  were  then  called 
up,  but  they  had  forgotten  me. 

When  I  attempted  to  take  them  in  my  arms,  they 
fled  from  me,  and  took  refuge  under  the  bed  of  their 
mother.  My  eldest  boy,  who  was  four  years  old  when 
I  was  carried  away,  still  retained  some  recollections  of 
once  having  had  a  father,  but  could  not  believe  that 
I  was  that  father.  My  wife,  who  at  first  was  over 
come  by  astonishment  at  seeing  me  again  in  her  cabin, 
and  was  incapable  of  giving  credit  to  the  fidelity  of 
her  own  vision,  after  I  had  been  in  the  house  a  few 
minutes,  seemed  to  awake  from  a  dream ;  and  gath 
ering  all  three  of  her  children  in  her  arms,  thrust 
them  into  my  lap,  as  I  sat  in  the  corner,  clapped  her 
hands,  laughed,  and  cried  by  turns  ;  and  in  her  ecstasy 
forgot  to  give  me  any  supper,  until  I  at  length  told 
her  that  I  was  hungry.  Before  I  entered  the  house 
I  felt  as  if  I  could  eat  anything  in  the  shape  of  food  ; 
but  now  that  I  attempted  to  eat,  my  appetite  had  fled, 
and  I  sat  up  all  night  with  my  wife  and  children. 

When  on  my  journey  I  thought  of  nothing  but 
getting  home,  and  never  reflected,  that  when  at  home, 
I  might  still  be  in  danger ;  but  now  that  my  toils 
were  ended,  I  began  to  consider  with  myself  how  I 
could  appear  in  safety  in  Calvert  county,  where  every- 


388  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  /  or, 

body  must  know  that  I  was  a  runaway  slave.  With 
my  heart  thrilling  with  joy,  when  I  looked  upon  my 
wife  and  children,  who  had  not  hoped  ever  to  behold 
me  again  ;  yet  fearful  of  the  coming  of  daylight,  which 
must  expose  me  to  be  arrested  as  a  fugitive  slave,  I 
passed  the  night  between  the  happiness  of  the  present 
and  the  dread  of  the  future.  In  all  the  toils,  dangers, 
and  sufferings  of  my  long  journey,  my  courage  had 
never  forsaken  me.  The  hope  of  again  seeing  my  wife 
and  little  ones,  had  borne  me  triumphantly  through 
perils,  that  even  now  I  reflect  upon  as  upon  some  ex 
travagant  dream  ;  but  when  I  found  myself  at  rest 
under  the  roof  of  my  wife,  the  object  of  my  labors  at 
tained,  and  no  motive  to  arouse  my  energies,  or  give 
them  the  least  impulse,  that  firmness  of  resolution 
which  had  so  long  sustained  me,  suddenly  vanished 
from  my  bosom  ;  and  I  passed  the  night,  with  my 
children  around  me,  oppressed  by  a  melancholy  fore 
boding  of  my  future  destiny.  The  idea  that  I  was 
utterly  unable  to  afford  protection  and  safeguard  to 
my  own  family,  and  was  myself  even  more  helpless 
than  they,  tormented  my  bosom  with  alternate  throbs 
of  affection  and  fear,  until  the  dawn  broke  in  the  East, 
and  summoned  me  to  decide  upon  my  future  conduct. 
In  the  morning  I  went  to  the  great  house  and  showed 
myself  to  my  master  and  mistress.  They  gave  me 
a  good  breakfast,  and  advised  me  at  first  to  conceal 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          389 

myself,  but  afterwards  to  work  in  trie  neighborhood 
for  wages.  For  eight  years,  I  lived  in  this  region  of 
country  and  experienced  a  variety  of  fortune.  At  last 
I  had  saved  near  $400,  and  bought  near  Baltimore 
twelve  acres  of  land,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  two  cows,  and 
attended  the  Baltimore  market.  I  had  the  great  mis 
fortune  to  lose  my  wife.  I  married  in  two  years,  and 
of  my  second  wife  had  four  children.  Ten  years  of 
happiness  and  comparative  ease  I  enjoyed  on  my  little 
farm,  and  I  had  settled  down  into  contentment,  little 
fearing  any  more  trouble.  But  a  sad  fate  was  before 
me. 


390  Fifty   Years  in  CJiains  ;  or. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

IN  the  month  of  June,  18 — ,  as  I  was  ploughing  in 
my  lot,  three  gentlemen  rode  up  to  my  fence,  and 
alighting  from  their  horses,  all  came  over  the  fence 
and  approached  me,  when  one  of  them  told  me  he 
was  the  sheriff,  and  had  a  writ  in  his  pocket,  which 
commanded  him  to  take  me  to  Baltimore.  I  was  not 
conscious  of  having  done  any  thing  injurious  to  any 
one  ;  but  yet  felt  a  distrust  of  these  men,  who  were 
all  strangers  to  me.  I  told  them  I  would  go  with 
them,  if  they  would  permit  me  to  turn  my  oxen  loose 
from  the  plough  ;  but  it  was  my  intention  to  seek  an 
opportunity  of  escaping  to  the  house  of  a  gentleman, 
who  lived  about  a  mile  from  me.  This  purpose  I  was 
not  able  to  effect,  for  whilst  I  was  taking  the  yoke 
from  the  oxen,  one  of  the  gentlemen  came  behind  me, 
and  knocked  me  down  with  a  heavy  whip,  that  he 
carried  in  his  hand. 

When  I  recovered  from  the  stunning  effects  of  this 
blow,  I  found  myself  bound  with  my  hands  behind 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          391 

me,  and  strong  cords  closely  wrapped  about  my  arms. 
In  this  condition  I  was  forced  to  set  out  immediately, 
for  Baltimore,  without  speaking  to  my  wife,  or  even 
entering  my  door.  I  expected  that,  on  arriving  at 
Baltimore,  I  should  be  taken  before  a  judge  for  the 
purpose  of  being  tried,  but  in  this  I  was  deceived. 
They  led  me  to  the  city  jail,  and  there  shut  me  up, 
with  several  other  black  people,  both  men  and  women, 
who  told  me  that  they  had  lately  been  purchased  by 
a  trader  from  Georgia. 

I  now  saw  the  extent  of  my  misfortune,  but  could 
not  learn  who  the  persons  were,  who  had  seized  me. 
In  the  evening,  however,  one  of  the  gentlemen,  who 
had  brought  me  from  home,  came  into  the  jail  with 
the  jailer,  and  asked  me  if  I  knew  him.  On  being 
answered  in  the  negative,  he  told  me  that  he  knew  me 
very  well ;  and  asked  me  if  I  did  not  recollect  the  time 
when  he  and  his  brother  had  whipped  me,  before  my 
master's  door,  in  Georgia. 

I  now  recognized  the  features  of  the  younger  of  the 
two  brothers  of  my  mistress  ;  but  this  man  was  so 
changed  in  his  appearance,  from  the  time  when  I  had 
last  seen  him,  that  if  he  had  not  declared  himself,  I 
should  never  have  known  him.  When  I  left  Georgia, 
he  was  not  more  than  twenty-one  or  two  years  of  age, 
and  had  black,  bushy  hair.  His  hair  was  now  thin 
and  gray,  and  all  his  features  were  changed. 


392  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

After  lying  in  jail  a  little  more  than  two  weeks, 
strongly  ironed,  my  fellow  prisoners  and  I  were  one 
day  chained  together,  handcuffed  in  pairs,  and  in  this 
way  driven  about  ten  miles  out  of  Baltimore,  where 
we  remained  all  night. 

On  the  evening  of  the  second  day,  we  halted  at 
Bladensburg. 

On  the  next  morning,  we  marched  through  Wash 
ington,  and  as  we  passed  in  front  of  the  President's 
house,  I  saw  an  old  gentleman  walking  in  the  grounds, 
near  the  gate.  This  man  I  was  told  was  the  President 
of  the  United  States. 

Within  four  weeks  after  we  left  Washington,  I  was 
in  Milledgeville  in  Georgia,  near  which  the  man  who 
had  kidnapped  me  resided.  He  took  me  home  with 
him,  and  set  me  to  work  on  his  plantation  ;  but  I  had 
now  enjoyed  liberty  too  long  to  submit  quietly  to  the 
endurance  of  slavery.  I  had  no  sooner  come  here,  than 
1  began  to  devise  ways  of  escaping  again  from  the 
hands  of  my  tyrants,  and  of  making  my  way  to  the 
northern  States. 

The  month  of  August  was  now  approaching,  which 
is  a  favorable  season  of  the  year  to  travel,  on  account 
of  the  abundance  of  food  that  is  to  be  found  in  the 
corn-fields  and  orchards  ;  but  I  remembered  the  dread 
ful  sufferings  that  I  had  endured  in  my  former  journey 
from  the  South,  and  determined,  if  possible,  to  devise 


The  Life,  of  an  American  Slave.  393 

some  scheme  of  getting  away,  that  would  not  subject 
me  to  such  hardships. 

After  several  weeks  of  consideration,  I  resolved  to 
run  away,  go  to  some  of  the  seaports,  and  endeavor  to 
get  a  passage  on  board  a  vessel,  bound  to  a  northern 
city.  With  this  view,  I  assumed  the  appearance  of 
resignation  and  composure,  under  the  new  aspect  of 
my  fortune  ;  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  tell  my  new 
master  that  I  lived  more  comfortably  with  him,  in  his 
cotton  fields,  than  I  had  formerly  done,  on  my  own 
small  farm  in  Maryland  ;  though  I  believe  my  mastei 
did  me  the  justice  to  give  no  credit  to  my  assertion? 
on  this  subject. 

From  the  moment  I  discovered  in  Maryland,  that 
I  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  brother  of  my  for 
mer  mistress,  I  gave  up  all  hope  of  contesting  his  right 
to  arrest  me,  with  success,  at  law,  as  I  supposed  he 
had  come  with  authority  to  reclaim  me  as  the  property 
of  his  sister ;  but  after  I  had  returned  to  Georgia, 
and  had  been  at  work  some  weeks  on  the  plantation 
of  my  new  master,  I  learned  that  he  now  claimed  me 
as  his  own  slave,  and  that  he  had  reported  he  had 
purchased  me  in  Baltimore.  It  was  now  clear  to  me 
that  this  man,  having  by  some  means  learned  the 
place  of  my  residence,  in  Maryland,  had  kidnapped 
and  now  held  me  as  his  slave,  without  the  color  of 
legal  right ;  but  complaint  on  my  part  was  useless, 
and  resistance  vain. 


394  Fifty   Years   ',n  Chains  ;  or, 

I  was  again  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  common 
field  slave,  on  a  cotton  plantation  in  Georgia,  and 
compelled  to  subsist  on  the  very  scanty  and  coarse 
food  allowed  to  the  southern  slave.  I  had  been  absent 
from  Georgia  almost  twenty  years,  and  in  that  period 
great  changes  had  doubtlessly  taken  place  in  the  face 
of  the  country,  as  well  as  in  the  condition  of  human 
society. 

I  had  never  been  in  Milledgeville  until  I  was  brought 
there  by  the  man  who  had  kidnapped  me  in  Maryland, 
and  I  was  now  a  slave  among  entire  strangers,  and  had 
no  friend  to  give  me  the  consolation  of  kind  words, 
such  as  I  had  formerly  received  from  my  master  in 
Morgan  county.  The  plantation  on  which  I  was  now 
a  slave,  had  formerly  belonged  to  the  father  of  my  mis 
tress  ;  and  some  of  my  fellow  slaves  had  been  well 
acquainted  with  her  in  her  youth.  From  these  people 
I  learned,  that  after  the  death  of  my  master,  and  my 
flight  from  Georgia,  my  mistress  had  become  the  wife 
of  a  second  husband,  who  had  removed  with  her  to 
the  State  of  Louisiana  more  than  fifteen  years  ago. 

After  ascertaining  these  facts,  which  proved  beyond 
all  doubt  that  my  present  master  had  no  right  what 
soever  to  me,  in  either  law  or  justice,  I  determined 
that  before  encountering  the  dangers  and  sufferings 
that  must  necessarily  attend  my  second  flight  from 
Georgia,  I  would  attempt  to  proclaim  the  pro- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          395 

teetion  of  the  laws  of  the  country,  and  try  to  get  my- 
Belf  discharged  from  the  unjust  slavery  in  which  I  was 
now  held.  For  this  purpose,  I  went  to  Milledgeville, 
one  Sunday,  and  inquired  for  a  lawyer  of  a  black  man 
whom  I  met  in  the  street.  This  person  told  me  that 
his  master  was  a  lawyer,  and  went  with  me  to  his  house. 

The  lawyer,  after  talking  to  me  some  time,  told  me 
that  my  master  was  his  client,  and  that  he  therefore 
could  not  undertake  my  cause  ;  but  referred  me  to  a 
young  gentleman,  who  he  said  would  do  my  business 
for  me.  Accordingly  to  this  young  man  I  went,  and 
after  relating  my  whole  story  to  him,  he  told  me  that 
he  believed  he  could  not  do  any  thing  for  me,  as  I  had 
no  witnesses  to  prove  my  freedom. 

I  rejoined,  that  it  seemed  hard  that  I  must  be  com 
pelled  to  prove  myself  a  freeman  :  and  that  it  would 
appear  more  consonant  to  reason  that  my  master  should 
prove  me  to  be  a  slave.  He,  however,  assured  me  that 
this  was  not  the  law  of  Georgia,  where  every  man  of 
color  was  presumed  to  be  a  slave  until  he  could  prove 
that  he  was  free.  He  then  told  me  that  if  I  expected 
him  to  talk  to  me,  I  must  give  him  a  fee  ;  whereupon 
I  gave  him  all  the  money  I  had  been  able  to  procure, 
since  my  arrival  in  the  country,  which  was  two  dollars 
and  seventy-five  cents. 

When  I  offered  him  this  money,  the  lawyer  tossed 
his  head,  and  «aid  such  a  trifle  was  not  worth  accept- 


396  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

ing  ;  but  nevertheless  he  took  it,  and  then  asked  me 
if  I  could  get  some  more  money  before  the  next  Sun 
day.  That  if  I  could  get  another  dollar;  he  would 
issue  a  writ  and  have  me  brought  before  the  court ; 
but  if  he  succeeded  in  getting  me  set  free,  I  must 
engage  to  serve  him  a  year.  To  these  conditions  I 
agreed,  and  signed  a  paper  which  the  lawyer  wrote, 
and  which  was  signed  by  two  persons  as  witnesses. 

The  brother  of  my  pretended  master  was  yet  living 
in  this  neighborhood,  and  the  lawyer  advised  me  to 
have  him  brought  forward,  as  a  witness,  to  prove  that 
1  was  not  the  slave  of  my  present  pretended  owner. 

On  the  Wednesday  following  my  visit  to  Milledge- 
ville,  the  sheriff  came  to  my  master's  plantation,  and 
took  me  from  the  field  to  the  house,  telling  me  as  I 
walked  beside  him  that  he  had  a  writ  which  command 
ed  him  to  take  me  to  Milledgeville.  Instead,  however, 
of  obeying  the  command  of  his  writ,  when  we  arrived 
at  the  house  he  took  a  bond  of  my  master  that  he 
would  produce  me  at  the  court-house  on  the  next  day, 
Friday,  and  then  rode  away,  leaving  me  at  the  mercy 
of  my  kidnapper. 

Since  I  had  been  on  this  plantation,  I  had  never 
been  whipped,  although  all  the  other  slaves,  of  whom 
there  were  more  than  fifty,  were  frequently  flogged 
without  any  apparent  cause.  I  had  all  along  attri 
buted  my  exemption  from  the  lash  to  the  fears  of  my 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          397 

master.  He  knew  I  had  formerly  run  away  from  his 
sister,  on  account  of  her  cruelty,  and  his  own  savage 
conduct  to  me  ;  and  I  believed  that  he  was  still  appre 
hensive  that  a  repetition  of  his  former  barbarity  might 
produce  the  same  effect  that  it  had  done  twenty  years 
before. 

His  evil  passions  were  like  fire  covered  with  ashes, 
concealed,  not  extinguished.  He  now  found  that  I  was 
determined  to  try  to  regain  my  liberty  at  all  events, 
and  the  sheriff  was  no  sooner  gone  than  the  overseer 
was  sent  for,  to  come  from  the  field,  and  I  was  tied  up 
and  whipped,  with  the  long  lashed  negro  whip,  until 
I  fainted,  and  was  carried  in  a  state  of  insensibility  to 
my  lodgings  in  the  quarter.  It  was  night  when  I  re 
covered  my  understanding  sufficiently  to  be  aware  of 
my  true  situation.  I  now  found  that  my  wounds  had 
been  oiled,  and  that  I  was  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  clean 
linen  cloth  ;  but  for  several  days  I  was  unable  to  leave 
my  bed.  When  Friday  came,  I  was  not  taken  to  Mil- 
ledgeville,  and  afterwards  learned  that  my  master  re 
ported  to  the  court  that  I  had  been  taken  ill,  and  was 
not  able  to  leave  the  house.  The  judge  asked  no 
questions  as  to  the  cause  of  my  illness. 

At  the  end  of  two  weeks  I  was  taken  to  Milledge- 
ville,  and  carried  before  a  judge,  who  first  asked  a  few 
questions  of  my  master,  as  to  the  length  of  time  that 
he  had  owned  me,  and  the  place  where  he  had  pur  • 


398  Fifty   Years  in  CJtains  ;  or, 


chased  me.  He  stated  in  my  presence  that  he  had 
purchased  me,  with  several  others,  at  public  auction, 
in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  had  paid  five  hundred 
and  ten  dollars  for  me.  I  was  not  permitted  to  speak 
to  the  court,  much  less  to  contradict  this  falsehood  in 
the  manner  it  deserved. 

The  brother  of  my  master  was  then  called  as  a  wit 
ness  by  my  lawyer,  but  the  witness  refused  to  be  sworn 
or  examined,  on  account  of  his  interest  in  me,  as  his 
slave.  In  support  of  his  refusal,  he  produced  a  bill  of 
sale  from  my  master  to  himself,  for  an  equal,  undivi 
ded  half  part  of  the  slave .  This  bill  of  sale  was 

dated  several  weeks  previous  to  the  time  of  trial,  and 
gave  rise  to  an  argument  between  the  opposing  lawyers 
that  continued  until  the  court  adjourned  in  the  evening. 

On  the  next  morning  I  was  again  brought  into  court, 
and  the  judge  now  delivered  his  opinion,  which  was 
that  the  witness  could  not  be  compelled  to  give  evi 
dence  in  a  cause  to  which  he  was  really,  though  not 
nominally,  a  party. 

The  court  then  proceeded  to  give  judgment  in  the 
cause  now  before  it,  and  declared  that  the  law  was  well 
settled  in  Georgia  that  every  negro  was  presumed  to 
be  a  slave,  until  he  proved  his  freedom  by  the  clearest 
evidence.  That  where  a  negro  was  found  in  the  cus 
tody  or  keeping  of  a  white  man,  the  law  declared  that 
white  man  to  be  his  master,  without  any  evidence  on 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  399 

the  subject.  But  the  case  before  the  court  was  ex 
ceedingly  plain  and  free  from  all  doubt  or  difficulty. 
Here  the  master  has  brought  this  slave  into  the  State 
of  Georgia,  as  his  property,  has  held  him  as  a  slave 
ever  since,  and  still  holds  him  as  a  slave.  The  title 
of  the  master  in  this  case  is  the  best  title  that  a  man 
can  have  to  any  property  ;  and  the  order  of  the  court 

is,  that  the  slave be  returned  to  the  custody 

?f  his  master. 

I  was  immediately  ordered  to  return  home,  and  from 
this  time  until  I  left  the  plantation  my  life  was  a  con 
tinual  torment  to  me.  The  overseer  often  came  up  to 
me  in  the  field,  and  gave  me  several  lashes  with  his 
long  whip  over  my  naked  back,  through  mere  wanton 
ness  ;  and  I  was  often  compelled,  after  I  had  done  my 
day's  work  in  the  field,  to  cut  wood,  or  perform  some 
other  labor  at  the  house,  until  long  after  dark.  My 
sufferings  were  too  great  to  be  borne  long  by  any  human 
creature  ;  and  to  a  man  who  had  once  tasted  the  sweets 
of  liberty,  they  were  doubly  tormenting. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  form  of  danger  that  could 
intimidate  me,  if  the  road  on  which  I  had  to  encounter 
it  led  me  to  freedom.  That  season  of  the  year  most 
favorable  to  my  escape  from  bondage,  had  at  length 
arrived.  The  corn  in  the  fields  was  so  far  grown  as  to 
be  fit  for  roasting ;  the  peaches  were  beginning  to 
ripen,  and  the  sweet  potatoes  were  large  enough  to  bo 


400  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

eaten  ;  but  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  difficulties 
that  surrounded  me  were  greater  than  can  easily  be 
imagined  by  any  one  who  has  never  been  a  slave  in 
the  lower  country  of  Georgia. 

In  the  first  place  I  was  almost  naked,  having  no 
other  clothes  than  a  ragged  shirt  of  tow  cloth,  and  a 
pair  of  old  trowsers  of  the  same  material,  with  an  old 
woollen  jacket  that  I  had  brought  with  me  from  home. 
In  addition  to  this,  I  was  closely  watched  every  even 
ing,  until  I  had  finished  the  labor  assigned  me,  and 
then  I  was  locked  up  in  a  small  cabin  by  myself  for 
the  night. 

This  cabin  was  really  a  prison,  and  had  been  built 
for  the  purpose  of  confining  such  of  the  slaves  of  this 
estate  as  were  tried  in  the  evening,  and  sentenced  to 
be  whipped  in  the  morning.  It  was  built  of  strong 
oak  logs,  hewn  square,  and  dovetailed  together  at  the 
corners.  It  had  no  window  in  it ;  but  as  the  logs  did 
not  fit  very  close  together,  there  was  never  any  want 
of  air  in  this  jail,  in  which  I  had  been  locked  up  every 
night  since  my  trial  before  the  court. 

On  Sundays  I  was  permitted  to  go  to  work  in  the 
fields,  with  the  other  people  who  worked  on  that  day, 
if  I  chose  so  to  do  ;  but  at  this  time  I  was  put  under 
the  charge  of  an  old  African  negro,  who  was  instruct 
ed  to  give  immediate  information  if  I  attempted  to 
leave  the  field.  To  escape  on  Sunday  was  impossible, 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  401 

and  there  seemed  to  be  no  hope  of  getting  out  of  my 
sleeping  room,  the  floor  of  which  was  made  of  strong 
pine  plank. 

Fortune  at  length  did  for  me  that  which  I  had  not 
been  able  to  accomplish,  by  the  greatest  efforts,  for 
myself.  The  lock  that  was  on  the  door  of  my  nightly 
prison  was  a  large  stock  lock,  and  had  been  clumsily 
fitted  on  the  door,  so  that  the  end  of  the  lock  pressed 
against  the  door-case,  and  made  it  difficult  to  shut  the 
door  even  in  dry  weather.  When  the  weather  was 
damp,  and  the  wood  was  swollen  with  moisture,  it  was 
not  easy  to  close  the  door  at  all. 

Late  in  the  month  of  September  the  weather  became 
cloudy,  and  much  rain  fell.  The  clouds  continued  to 
obscure,  the  heavens  for  four  or  five  days.  One  even 
ing,  when  I  was  ordered  to  my  house  as  it  was  called, 
the  overseer  followed  me  without  a  light,  although  it 
was  very  dark.  When  I  was  in  the  house,  he  pushed 
the  door  after  me  with  all  his  strength.  The  violence 
of  the  effort  caused  the  door  to  pass  within  the  case  at 
the  top,  for  one  or  two  feet,  and  this  held  it  so  fast 
that  he  could  not  again  pull  it  open. 

Supposing,  in  the  extreme  darkness,  that  the  door 
was  shut,  he  turned  the  key  ;  and  the  bolt  of  the  lock 
passing  on  the  outside  of  the  staple  intended  to  receive 
it,  completely  deceived  him.  He  then  withdrew  the 
key,  and  went  away.  Soon  after  he  was  gone,  I  went 


402  Fifty   Year 8  in  Chains  ;  or, 

to  the  door,  and  feeling  with  my  hands,  ascertained 
that  it  was  not  shut.  An  opportunity  now  presented 
itself  for  me  to  escape  from  my  prison-house,  with  a 
prospect  of  being  ahle  to  he  so  far  from  my  master's 
residence  hefore  morning,  that  none  could  soon  over 
take  me,  even  should  the  course  of  my  flight  he  ascer 
tained.  Waiting  quietly,  until  every  one  ahout  the 
quarter  had  ceased  to  he  heard,  I  applied  one  of  my 
feet  to  the  door,  and  giving  it  a  strong  push,  forced 
it  open. 

The  world  was  now  all  hefore  me,  hut  the  darkness 
was  so  profound,  as  to  obscure  from,  my  vision  the 
largest  objects,  even  a  house,  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
yards.  But  dark  as  it  was,  necessity  compelled  me  to 
leave  the  plantation  without  delay,  and  knowing  only 
the  great  road  that  led  to  Milledgeville,  amongst  the 
various  roads  of  this  country,  I  set  off  at  a  brisk  walk 
on  this  public  highway,  assured  that  no  one  could 
apprehend  me  in  so  dark  a  night 

It  was  only  about  seven  miles  to  Milledgeville,  and 
when  I  reached  that  town  several  lights  were  burning 
in  the  windows  of  the  houses  ;  but  keeping  on  directly 
through  the  village,  I  neither  saw  nor  heard  any  per 
son  in  it,  and  after  gaining  the  open  country,  my  first 
care  was  to  find  some  secure  place  where  shelter  could 
be  found  for  the  next  day  ;  but  no  appearance  of  thick 
woods  was  to  be  seen  for  several  miles,  and  two  or 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          403 

three  hours  must  have  elapsed  before  a  forest  of  suffi- 
rient  magnitude  was  found  to  answer  my  purposes. 

It  was  perhaps  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when 
I  took  refuge  in  a  thick  and  dismal  swamp  that  lay 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  road,  intending  to  remain 
here  until  daylight,  and  then  look  out  for  a  secret 
place  to  conceal  myself  in,  during  the  day.  Hitherto, 
although  the  night  was  so  extremely  dark,  it  had  not 
rained  any,  but  soon  after  my  halt  in  the  swamp  the 
rain  began  fco  fall  in  floods,  rather  than  in  showers, 
which  made  me  as  wet  as  if  I  had  swam  a  river. 

Daylight  at  length  appeared,  but  brought  with  it 
very  little  mitigation  of  my  sufferings ;  for  the  swamp, 
in  which  my  hiding-place  was,  lay  in  the  midst  of  a 
well-peopled  country,  and  was  surrounded  on  all  sides 
by  cotton  and  corn  fields,  so  close  to  me  that  the  open 
spaces  of  the  cleared  land  could  be  seen  from  my  posi 
tion.  It  was  dangerous  to  move,  lest  some  one  should 
see  me,  and  painful  to  remain  without  food  when  hun 
ger  was  consuming  me. 

My  resting  place  in  the  swamp  was  within  view  of 
the  road  ;  and,  soon  after  sunrise,  although  it  con 
tinued  to  rain  fast,  numerous  horsemen  wore  seen  pass 
ing  along  the  road  by  the  way  that  had  led  me  to  the 
Bwamp.  There  was  little  doubt  on  my  mind  that 
these  people  were  in  searcn  of  me,  and  the  sequel 
I  Droved  that  my  surmises  were  well  founded.  It  rained 


404  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

throughout  this  day,  and  the  fear  of  being  apprehended 
by  those  who  came  in  pursuit  of  me,  confined  me  to 
the  swamp,  until  after  dark  the  following  evening, 
when  I  ventured  to  leave  the  thicket,  and  return  to 
the  high  road,  the  bearing  of  which  it  was  impossible 
for  me  to  ascertain,  on  account  of  the  dense  clouds  that 
obscured  the  heavens.  All  that  could  be  done  in  my 
situation,  was  to  take  care  not  to  follow  that  end  of 
the  road  which  had  led  me  to  the  swamp.  Turning 
my  back  once  more  upon  Milledgeville,  and  walking 
at  a  quick  pace,  every  effort  was  made  to  remove  my 
self  as  far  as  possible  this  night  from  the  scene  of  suf 
fering,  for  which  that  swamp  will  be  always  memora 
ble  in  my  mind. 

The  rain  had  ceased  to  fall  at  the  going  down  of  the 
sun  ;  and  the  darkness  of  this  second  night  was  not  so 
great  as  that  of  the  first  had  been.  This  circumstance 
was  regarded  by  me  as  a  happy  presage  of  the  final 
success  that  awaited  my  undertaking.  Events  proved 
that  I  was  no  prophet ;  for  the  dim  light  of  this  night 
was  the  cause  of  the  sad  misfortune  that  awaited  me. 

In  a  former  part  of  this  volume,  the  reader  is  made 
acquainted  with  the  deep  interest  that  is  taken  by  all 
the  planters,  far  and  wide,  around  the  plantation  from 
which  a  slave  has  escaped  by  running  away.  Twenty 
years  had  wrought  no  change  in  favor  of  the  fugitive  ; 
nor  had  the  feuds  and  dissentions  that  agitate  and  dis- 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  405 

the  communities  of  white  men,  produced  any  re 
laxation  in  the  friendship  that  they  profess  to  feel,  and 
really  do  feel,  for  each  other,  on  a  question  of  so  much 
importance  to  them  all. 

More  than  twenty  miles  of  road  had  been  left  be 
hind  me  this  night  ;  and  it  must  have  been  two  or 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when,  as  I  was  passing  a 
part  of  the  road  that  led  through  a  dense  pine  grove, 
where  the  trees  on  either  side  grew  close  to  the  wheel 
tracks,  five  or  six  men  suddenly  rushed  upon  me  from 
both  sides  of  the  road,  and  with  loud  cries  of  "  Kill 
him  !  kill  him  !"  accompanied  with  oaths  and  oppro 
brious  language,  seized  me,  dragged  me  to  the  ground, 
and  bound  me  fast  with  a  long  cord,  which  was  wrap 
ped  round  my  arms  and  body,  so  as  to  confine  my 
hands  below  my  hips. 

In  this  condition  I  was  driven,  or  rather  dragged, 
about  two  miles  to  a  kind  of  tavern  or  public  house, 
that  stood  by  the  side  of  the  road  ;  where  my  captors 
were  joined,  soon  after  daylight,  by  at  least  twenty  of 
their  companions,  who  had  been  out  all  night  waiting 
and  watching  for  me  on  the  other  roads  of  this  part  of 
the  country.  Those  who  had  taken  me  were  loudly 
applauded  by  their  fellows  ;  and  the  whole  party 
passed  the  morning  in  drinking,  singing  songs,  and 
playing  cards  at  this  house.  At  breakfast  time  they 


406  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

gave  me  a  large  cake  of  com  bread  and  some  soui 
milk  for  breakfast. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  my  master  arrived 
at  the  tavern,  in  company  with  two  or  three  other  gen 
tlemen,  all  strangers  to  me.  My  master,  when  he 
came  into  my  presence,  looked  at  me,  and  said,  "Well, 
— — ,  you  had  bad  luck  in  running  away  this  time  '" 
and  immediately  asked  aloud,  what  any  person  would 
give  for  me.  One  man,  who  was  slightly  intoxicated, 
said  he  would  give  four  hundred  dollars  for  me.  Other 
bids  followed,  until  my  price  was  soon  up  to  five  hun 
dred  and  eighty  dollars,  for  which  I  was  stricken  off, 
by  my  master  himself,  to  a  gentleman,  who  immedi 
ately  gave  his  note  for  me,  and  took  charge  of  me  as 
his  property. 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  407 


CHAPTER    XX. 


THE  name  of  my  new  master  was  Jones;  a  planter, 
who  was  only  a  visitor  in  this  part  of  the  country  ;  his 
residence  being  about  fifty  miles  clown  the  country. 
The  next  day,  my  new  master  set  off  with  me  to  the 
place  of  his  residence  ;  permitting  me  to  walk  behind 
him,  as  he  rode  on  horseback,  and  leaving  me  entirely 
unshackled.  I  was  resolved,  that  as  my  owner  treated 
me  with  so  much  liberality,  the  trust  he  reposed  in  me 
should  not  be  broken  until  after  we  had  reached  his 
home  ;  though  the  determination  of  again  running 
away,  and  attempting  to  escape  from  Georgia,  never 
abandoned  me  for  a  moment. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed,  on  our  jour 
ney,  was  not  rich.  The  soil  was  sandy,  light,  and,  in 
many  places,  much  exhausted  by  excessive  tillage. 
The  timber,  in  the  woods  where  the  ground  was  high, 
was  almost  exclusively  pine  ;  but  many  swamps,  and 
extensive  tracts  of  low  ground  intervened,  in  which 
maple,  gum,  and  all  the  other  trees  common  to  such 
land  in  the  South,  abounded. 


408  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

No  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  slaves  on 
the  plantations,  was  here  perceptible  ;  but  it  appear 
ed  to  me,  that  there  was  now  even  a  greater  want  of 
good  clothes,  amongst  the  slaves  on  the  various  plan 
tations  that  we  passed,  than  had  existed  twenty  years 
before.  Everywhere,  the  overseers  still  kept  up  the 
same  custom  of  walking  in  the  fields  with  the  long 
whip,  that  has  been  elsewhere  described  ;  and  every 
where,  the  slaves  proved,  by  the  husky  appearance  of 
their  skins,  and  the  dry,  sunburnt  aspect  of  their  hair, 
that  they  were  strangers  to  animal  food. 

On  the  second  day  of  our  journey,  in  the  evening, 
we  arrived  at  the  residence  of  my  master,  about  eighty 
miles  from  Savannah.  The  plantation,  which  had  now 
become  the  place  of  my  residence,  was  not  large,  con 
taining  only  about  three  hundred  acres  of  cleared  land, 
and  having  on  it  about  thirty  working  slaves  of  all 
classes. 

It  was  now  the  very  midst  of  the  season  of  picking 
cotton,  and,  at  the  end  of  twenty  years  from  the  time 
of  my  first  flight,  I  again  had  a  daily  task  assigned 
me,  with  the  promise  of  half  a  cent  a  pound  for  all  the 
cotton  I  should  pick,  beyond  my  day's  work.  Picking 
cotton,  like  every  other  occupation  requiring  active 
manipulation,  depends  more  upon  sleight  than  strength, 
and  I  was  not  now  able  to  pick  so  much  in  a  day  as  1 
was  once  able  to  do. 


The  Life  of  vn  American  Slave.          409 

My  master  seemed  to  be  a  man  ardently  bent  on  the 
acquisition  of  wealth,  and  came  into  the  field,  where 
we  were  at  work,  almost  every  day  ;  frequently  remon 
strating,  in  strong  language,  with  the  overseer,  because 
he  did  not  get  more  work  done. 

Our  rations,  on  this  place,  were  a  half  peck  of  corn 
per  week  ;  in  addition  to  which,  we  had  rather  more 
than  a  peck  of  sweet  potatoes  allowed  to  each  person. 
Our  provisions  were  distributed  to  us  on  every  Sunday 
morning  by  the  overseer;  but  mymastetwas  gener 
ally  present,  either  to  see  that  justice  was  done  to  us, 
or  that  injustice  was  not  done  to  himself. 

When  I  had  been  here  about  a  week,  my  master 
came  into  the  field  one  day,  and,  in  passing  near  me, 
stopped  and  told  me  that  I  had  now  fallen  into  good 
hands,  as  it  was  his  practice  not  to  whip  his  people 
much.  That  he,  in  truth,  never  whipped  them,  noi 
suffered  his  overseer  to  whip  them,  except  in  flagrant 
cases.  That  he  had  discovered  a  mode  of  punishment 
much  more  mild,  and,  at  the  same  time,  much  more 
effectual  than  flogging  ;  and  that  he  governed  his 
negroes  exclusively  under  this  mode  of  discipline.  He 
then  told  me,  that  when  I  came  home  in  the  evening 
I  must  come  to  the  house  ;  and  that  he  would  then 
make  me  acquainted  with  the  principles  upon  which 
he  chastised  his  slaves. 

Going  to  the  house  in  the   evening,  accordino   to 
18 


410  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

orders,  my  master  showed  me  a  pump,  set  in  a  well  in 
which  the  water  rose  within  ten  feet  of  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  Th3  spout  of  this  pump  was  elevated  at 
least  thirteen  feet  above  the  earth,  and  when  the  water 
was  to  be  drawn  from  it,  the  person  who  worked  the 
handle  ascended  by  a  ladder  to  the  proper  station. — 
The  water  in  this  well,  although  so  near  the  surface, 
was  very  cold  ;  and  the  pump  discharged  it  in  a  large 
stream.  One  of  the  women  employed  in  the  house, 
had  committed  some  offence  for  which  she  was  to  be 
punished  ;  and  the  opportunity  was  embraced  of  ex 
hibiting  to  me  the  effect  of  this  novel  mode  of  torture 
upon  the  human  frame.  The  woman  was  stripped 
quite  naked,  and  tied  to  a  post  that  stood  just  under 
the  stream  of  water,  as  it  fell  from  the  spout  of  the 
pump.  A  lad  was  then  ordered  to  ascend  the  ladder, 
and  pump  water  upon  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the 
victim  ;  who  had  not  been  under  the  waterfall  more 
than  a  minute,  before  she  began  to  cry  and  scream  in 
a  most  lamentable  manner.  In  a  short  time,  she  ex 
erted  her  strength,  in  the  most  convulsive  throes,  in 
trying  to  escape  from  the  post ;  but  as  the  cords  were 
strong,  this  was  impossible.  After  another  minute  or 
a  little  more,  her  cries  became  weaker,  and  soon  after 
wards  her  head  fell  forward  upon  her  breast ;  and  then 
the  boy  was  ordered  to  cease  pumping  the  water.  The 
woman  was  removed  in  a  state  01  insensibility ;  but 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          411 

recovered  her  faculties  in  about  an  hour.  The  next 
morning  she  complained  of  lightness  of  head,  but  was 
able  to  go  to  work. 

This  punishment  of  the  pump,  as  it  is  called,  was 
never  inflicted  on  me  ;  and  I  am  only  able  to  describe 
it,  as  it  has  been  described  to  me,  by  those  who  have 
endured  it. 

When  the  water  first  strikes  the  head  and  arms,  it 
is  not  at  all  painful ;  but  in  a  very  short  time,  it  pro 
duces  the  sensation  that  is  felt  when  heavy  blows  are 
inflicted  with  large  rods,  of  the  size  of  a  man's  finger. 
This  perception  becomes  more  and  more  painful,  until 
the  skull  bone  and  shoulder  blades  appear  to  be  broken 
in  pieces.  Finally,  all  the  faculties  become  oppressed  ; 
breathing  becomes  more  and  more  difficult ;  until  the 
eye-sight  becomes  dim,  and  animation  ceases.  This 
punishment  is  in  fact  a  temporary  murder  ;  as  all  the 
pains  are  endured,  that  can  be  felt  by  a  person  who  is 
deprived  of  life  by  being  beaten  with  bludgeons  ;  but 
after  the  punishment  of  the  pump,  the  sufferer  is 
restored  to  existence  by  being  laid  in  a  bed,  and  covered 
with  warm  clothes.  A  giddiness  of  the  head,  and  op 
pression  of  the  breast,  follows  this  operation,  for  a  day 
or  two,  and  sometimes  longer.  The  object  of  calling 
me  to  be  a  witness  of  this  new  mode  of  torture,  doubt 
lessly,  was  to  intimidate  me  from  running  away  ;  but 
like  medicines  administered  by  empirics,  the  spectacle 


412  fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

had  precisely  the  opposite  effect,  from  that  which  it 
was  expected  to  produce. 

After  my  arrival  on  this  estate,  my  intention  had 
been  to  defer  my  elopement  until  the  next  year,  he- 
fore  I  had  seen  the  torture  inflicted  on  this  unfortunate 
woman ;  but  from  that  moment  my  resolution  was 
unalterably  fixed,  to  escape  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Such  was  my  desperation  of  feeling,  at  this  time,  that 
I  deliberated  seriously  upon  the  project  of  endeavoring 
to  make  my  way  southward,  for  the  purpose  of  joining 
the  Indians  in  Florida.  Fortune  reserved  a  more 
agreeable  fate  for  me. 

On  the  Saturday  night  after  the  woman  was  punish 
ed  at  the  pump,  I  stole  a  yard  of  cotton  bagging  from 
the  cotton-gin  house,  and  converted  it  into  a  bag,  by 
means  of  a  coarse  needle  and  thread  that  I  borrowed 
of  one  of  the  black  women.  On  the  next  morning, 
when  our  weekly  rations  were  distributed  to  us,  my 
portion  was  carefully  placed  in  my  bag,  under  pretence 
of  fears  that  it  would  be  stolen  from  me,  if  it  was  left 
open  in  the  loft  of  the  kitchen  that  I  lodged  in. 

This  day  being  Sunday,  I  did  not  go  to  the  field  to 
work  as  usual,  on  that  day,  but  under  pretence  of  be 
ing  unwell,  remained  in  the  kitchen  all  day,  to  be  bet 
ter  prepared  for  the  toils  of  the  following  night  After 
daylight  had  totally  disappeared,  taking  my  bag  under 
my  arm,  unclei  preteni  3  of  going  to  the  mill  to  grind 


Tlie  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  413 

my  corn,  I  stole  softly  across  the  cotton  fields  to  the 
nearest  woods,  and  taking  an  observation  of  the  stars, 
directed  my  course  to  the  eastward,  resolved  that  in 
no  event  should  anything  induce  me  to  travel  a  single 
yard  on  the  high  road,  until  at  least  one  hundred  miles 
from  this  plantation. 

Keeping  on  steadily  through  the  whole  of  this  night, 
and  meeting  with  no  swamps,  or  briery  thickets  in  my 
way,  I  have  no  doubt  that  before  daylight  the  plan 
tation  was  more  than  thirty  miles  behind  me. 

Twenty  years  before  this  I  had  been  in  Savannah, 
and  noted  at  that  time  that  great  numbers  of  ships 
were  in  that  port,  taking  in  and  loading  cotton.  My 
plan  was  now  to  reach  Savannah,  in  the  best  way  I 
could,  by  some  means  to  be  devised  after  my  arrival 
in  the  city,  to  procure  a  passage  to  some  of  the  north 
ern  cities. 

When  day  appeared  before  me,  I  was  in  a  large  cot 
ton  field,  and  before  the  woods  could  be  reached,  it 
was  gray  dawn  ;  but  the  forest  bordering  on  the  field 
was  large,  and  afforded  me  good  shelter  through  the 
day,  under  the  cover  of  .a  large  thicket  of  swamp  lau 
rel  that  lay  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  field.  It  now  became  necessary  to  kindle  a  fire, 
for  all  my  stock  of  provisions,  consisting  of  corn  and 
potatoes,  was  raw  and  undressed.  Less  fortunate  now 
than  in  my  former  flight,  no  fire  apparatus  was  in  my 


414  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

possession,  and  driven  at  last  to  the  extremity,  I  de 
termined  to  endeavor  to  produce  fire  by  rubbing  two 
sticks  together,  and  spent  at  least  two  hours  of  inces 
sant  toil,  in  this  vain  operation,  without  the  least 
prospect  of  success.  Abandoning  this  project  at  length, 
I  turned  my  thoughts  to  searching  for  a  stone  of  some 
kind,  with  which  to  endeavor  to  extract  fire  from  an 
old  jack-knife,  that  had  been  my  companion  in  Mary 
land  for  more  than  three  years.  My  labors  were  fruit 
less.  No  stone  could  be  found  in  this  swamp,  and  the 
day  was  passed  in  anxiety  and  hunger,  a  few  raw  po 
tatoes  being  my  only  food. 

Night  at  length  came,  and  with  it  a  renewal  of  my 
traveling  labors.  Avoiding  with  the  utmost  care,  every 
appearance  of  a  road,  and  pursuing  my  way  until  day 
light,  I  must  have  traveled  at  least  thirty  miles  this 
night.  Awhile  before  day,  in  crossing  a  field,  I  fortu 
nately  came  upon  a  bed  of  large  pebbles,  on  the  side 
of  a  hill.  Several  of  these  were  deposited  in  my  bag, 
which  enabled  me  when  day  arrived  to  procure  fire, 
with  which  I  parched  corn  and  roasted  potatoes  suffi 
cient  to  subsist  me  for  two  or  three  days.  On  the 
fourth  night  of  my  journey,  fortune  directed  me  to  a 
broad,  open  highway,  that  appeared  to  be  much 
traveled. 

Near  the  side  of  this  road  I  established  my  quarters 
for  the  day  in  a  thick  pine  wood,  for  the  purpose  of 


The  Life  oj  an  American  Slave.  415 

making  observations  upon  the  people  who  traveled  it, 
and  of  judging  thence  of  the  part  of  the  country  to 
which  it  led. 

Soon  after  daylight  a  wagon  passed  along,  drawn  by 
oxen,  and  loaded  with  bales  of  cotton  ;  then  followed 
some  white  men  on  horseback,  and  soon  after  sunrise  a 
whole  train  of  wagons  and  carts,  all  loaded  with  bales  of 
cotton,  passed  by,  following  the  wagon  first  seen  by 
me.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  at  least  one  hundred 
wagons  and  carts  passed  along  this  road  towards  the 
south-east,  all  laden  with  cotton  bales ;  and  at  least 
an  equal  number  came  towards  the  west,  either  laden 
with  casks  of  various  dimensions,  or  entirely  empty. 
Numerous  horsemen,  many  carriages,  and  great  num 
bers  of  persons  on  foot,  also  passed  to  and  fro  on  this 
road,  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

All  these  indications  satisfied  me  that  I  must  be 
near  some  large  town,  the  seat  of  an  extensive  cotton 
market.  The  next  consideration  with  me  was  to  know 
how  far  it  was  to  this  town,  for  which  purpose  I  de 
termined  to  travel  on  the  road  the  succeeding  night. 

Lying  in  the  woods  until  about  eleven  o'clock,  I 
rose,  came  to  the  road  and  traveled  it  until  within  an 
hour  of  daylight,  at  which  time  the  country  around 
me  appeared  almost  wholly  clear  of  timber ;  and 
houses  became  much  more  numerous  than  they  had 
been  in  the  forinei  part  of  my  journey 


416  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

Things  continued  to  wear  this  aspect  until  daylight, 
when  I  stopped,  and  sat  down  by  the  side  of  a  high 
fence  that  stood  beside  the  road.  After  remaining 
here  a  short  time,  a  wagon  laden  with  cotton  passed 
along,  drawn  by  oxen,  whose  driver,  a  black  man, 
asked  me  if  I  was  going  towards  town.  Being  an 
swered  in  the  affirmative,  he  then  asked  me  if  I  did 
not  wish  to  ride  in  his  wagon.  I  told  him  I  had  been 
out  of  town  all  night,  and  should  be  very  thankful  to 
him  for  a  ride  ;  at  the  same  time  ascending  his  wagon 
and  placing  myself  in  a  secure  and  easy  position  on 
the  bags  of  cotton. 

In  this  manner  we  traveled  on  for  about  two  hours, 
when  we  entered  the  town  of  Savannah.  In  my  situ 
ation  there  was  no  danger  of  any  one  suspecting  me  to 
be  a  runaway  slave  ;  for  no  runaway  had  ever  been 
known  to  flee  from  the  country  and  seek  refuge  in 
Savannah. 

The  man  who  drove  the  wagon  passed  through  sev 
eral  of  the  principal  streets  of  the  city,  and  stopped  his 
team  before  a  large  warehouse,  standing  on  a  wharf, 
looking  into  the  river.  Here  I  assisted  my  new  friend 
to  unload  his  cotton,  and  when  we  were  done  he  invi 
ted  me  to  share  his  breakfast  with  him,  consisting  of 
corn  bread,  roasted  potatoes,  and  some  cold  boiled  lice. 

Whilst  we  were  at  our  breakfast,  a  black  man  came 
along  the  street,  and  asked  us  if  we  knew  where  he 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave  417 

could  hire  a  hand,  to  help  him  to  work  a  day  or  two, 
I  at  once  replied  that  my  master  had  sent  me  to  town 
to  hire  myself  out  for  a  few  weeks,  and  that  I  was 
ready  to  go  with  him  immediately.  The  joy  I  felt  at 
finding  employment  so  overcame  me,  that  all  thought 
of  my  wages  was  forgotten.  Bidding  farewell  to  the 
man  who  had  given  me  my  breakfast,  and  thanking 
him  in  my  heart  for  his  kindness,  I  followed  my  new 
employer,  who  informed  me  that  he  had  engaged  to 
remove  a  thousand  bales  of  cotton  from  a  large  ware 
house,  to  the  end  of  a  wharf  at  which  a  ship  lay,  that 
was  taking  in  the  cotton  as  a  load. 

This  man  was  a  slave,  but  hired  his  time  of  his  mas 
ter  at  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year,  which  he 
said  he  paid  in  monthly  instalments.  He  did  what  he 
called  job  work,  which  consisted  of  undertaking  jobs, 
and  hiring  men  to  work  under  him,  if  the  job  was  too 
great  to  be  performed  by  himself.  In  the  present  in 
stance  he  had  seven  or  eight  black  men,  beside  me,  all 
hired  to  help  him  to  remove  the  cotton  in  wheel-bar 
rows,  and  lay  it  near  the  end  of  the  wharf,  when  it 
was  taken  up  by  sailors  and  carried  on  board  the  ship 
that  was  receiving  it. 

We  continued  working  hard  all  day  ;  and  amongst 
the  crew  of  the  ship  was  a  black  man,  with  whom  I 
resolved  to  become  acquainted  by  some  means.  Ac 
cordingly  at  night  after  we  had  quit  our  work,  I  went 

18* 


418  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  :  or, 

to  the  end  of  the  wharf  against  which  the  ship  lay 
moored,  and  stood  there  a  long  time,  waiting  for  the 
black  sailor  to  make  his  appearance  on  deck.  At  length 
my  desires  were  gratified.  He  came  upon  the  deck, 
and  sat  down  near  the  main-mast,  with  a  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  which  he  was  smoking  with  great  apparent 
pleasure.  After  a  few  minutes,  I  spoke  to  him,  for  he 
had  not  yet  seen  me  as  it  appeared,  and  when  he  heard 
my  voice,  he  rose  up  and  came  to  the  side  of  the  ship 
near  where  I  stood.  We  entered  into  conversation  to 
gether,  in  the  course  of  which  he  informed  me  that  his 
home  was  in  New- York  ;  that  he  had  a  wife  and  sev 
eral  children  there,  but  that  he  followed  the  sea  for  a 
livelihood,  and  knew  no  other  mode  of  life.  He  also 
asked  me  where  my  master  lived,  and  if  Georgia  had 
always  been  the  place  of  my  residence. 

I  deemed  this  a  favorable  opportunity  of  effecting 
the  object  I  had  in  view,  in  seeking  the  acquaintance 
of  this  man,  and  told  him  at  once  that  by  law  and 
justice  I  was  a  free  man,  but  had  been  kidnapped  near 
Baltimore,  forcibly  brought  to  Georgia,  and  sold  there 
as  a  slave.  That  I  was  now  a  fugitive  from  my  mas 
ter,  and  in  search  of  some  means  of  getting  back  to 
my  wife  and  children. 

The  man  seemed  moved  by  the  account  of  my  suf 
ferings,  and  at  the  close  of  my  narrative,  told  me  he 
could  not  receive  me  on  board  the  ship,  as  the  captain 


The  Life  of  an  American  .Slave.          419 

had  given  positive  orders  to  him;  not  to  let  any  of  the 
negroes  of  Savannah  come  on  board,  lest  they  should 
steal  something  belonging  to  the  ship.  He  further 
told  me  that  he  was  on  watch,  and  should  continue 
on  deck  two  hours.  That  he  was  forced  to  take  a  turn 
of  watching  the  ship  every  night,  for  two  hours  ;  but 
that  his  turn  would  not  come  the  next  night  until  after 
midnight. 

I  now  begged  him  to  enable  me  to  secrete  myself 
on  board  the  ship,  previous  to  the  time  of  her  sailing, 
so  that  I  might  be  conveyed  to  Philadelphia,  whither 
the  ship  was  bound  with  her  load  of  cotton.  He  at 
first  received  my  application  with  great  coldness,  and 
said  he  would  not  do  any  thing  contrary  to  the  orders 
of  the  captain ;  but  before  we  parted,  he  said  he 
should  be  glad  to  assist  me  if  he  could,  but  that  the 
execution  of  the  plan  proposed  by  me,  would  be  attend 
ed  with  great  dangers,  if  not  ruin. 

In  my  situation  there  was  nothing  too  hazardous 
for  me  to  undertake,  and  I  informed  him  that  if  he 
would  let  me  hide  myself  in  the  hold  of  the  ship, 
amongst  the  bags  of  cotton,  no  one  should  ever  know 
that  he  had  any  knowledge  of  the  fact ;  and  that  all 
the  danger,  and  all  the  disasters  that  might  attend  the 
affair,  should  fall  exclusively  on  me.  He  finally  told 
me  to  go  away,  and  that  he  would  think  of  the  matter 
until  the  next  day. 


420  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

It  was  obvious  that  his  heart  was  softened  in  my 
favor  ;  that  his  feelings  of  compassion  almost  impelled 
him  to  do  an  act  in  my  behalf,  that  was  forbidden  by 
his  judgment,  and  his  sense  of  duty  to  his  employers. 
As  the  houses  of  the  city  were  now  closed,  and  I  was 
a  stranger  in  the  place,  I  went  to  a  wagon  that  stood 
in  front  of  the  warehouse,  and  had  been  unladen  of 
the  cotton  that  had  been  brought  in  it,  and  creeping 
into  it,  made  my  bed  with  the  driver,  who  permitted 
me  to  share  his  lodgings  amongst  some  corn  tops  that 
he  had  brought  to  feed  his  oxen. 

When  the  morning  came,  I  went  again  to  the  ship, 
and  when  the  people  came  on  deck,  asked  them  for 
the  captain,  whom  I  should  not  have  known  by  his 
dress,  which  was  very  nearly  similar  to  that  of  the 
sailors.  On  being  asked  if  he  did  not  wish  to  hire  a 
hand,  to  help  to  load  his  ship,  he  told  me  I  might  go 
to  work  amongst  the  men,  if  I  chose,  and  he  would 
pay  me  what  I  was  worth. 

My  object  was  to  procure  employment  on  board  the 
ship,  and  not  to  get  wages  ;  and  in  the  course  of  this 
day  I  found  means  to  enter  the  hold  of  the  ship  several 
times,  and  examine  it  minutely.  The  black  sailor 
promised  that  he  would  not  betray  me,  and  that  if  I 
could  find  the  means  of  escaping  on  board  the  ship  he 
would  not  disclose  it.  " 

At  the  end  of  three  days,  the  ship  had  taken  in  her 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          421 

4 

loading,  and  the  captain  said  in  my  presence  that  he 
intended  to  sail  the  day  after.  No  time  was  now  to 
be  lost,  and  asking  the  captain  what  he  thought  I  had 
earned,  he  gave  me  three  dollars,  which  was  certainly 
very  liberal  pay,  considering  that  during  the  whole 
time  that  I  had  worked  for  him  my  fare  had  been  the 
same  as  that  of  the  sailors,  who  had  as  much  as  they 
could  consume  of  excellent  food. 

The  sailors  were  now  busy  in  trimming  the  ship  and 
making  ready  for  sea,  and  observing  that  this  work  re 
quired  them  to  spend  much  time  in  the  hold  of  the 
ship,  I  went  to  the  captain  and  told  him,  that  as  he 
had  paid  me  good  wages  and  treated  me  well,  I  would 
work  with  his  people  the  residue  of  this  day,  for  my 
victuals  and  half  a  gallon  of  molasses  ;  which  he  said 
he  would  give  me.  My  first  object  now,  was  to  get 
into  the  hold  of  the  ship  with  those  who  were  adjust 
ing  the  cargo.  The  first  time  the  men  below  called 
for  aid,  I  went  to  them,  and  being  there,  took  care  to 
remain  with  them.  Being  placed  at  one  side  of  the 
hold,  for  the  purpose  of  packing  the  bags  close  to  the 
ship's  timbers,  I  so  managed  as  to  leave  a  space  be 
tween  two  of  the  bags,  large  enough  for  a  man  to 
creep  in  and  conceal  himself.  This  cavity  was  riear 
the  opening  in  the  centre  of  the  hold,  that  was  left  to 
let  men  get  down,  to  stow  away  the  last  of  the  bags 
that  were  put  in.  In  this  email  hollow  retreat  among 


422  Fifty   Years  in  C'A,.  ins ;  or, 

the  bags  of  cotton,  I  determined  to  take  my  passage 
to  Philadelphia,  if  by  any  means  I  could  succeed  in 
stealing  on  board  the  ship  at  night. 

When  the  evening  came,  I  went  to  a  store  near  the 

O  7 

wharf,  and  bought  two  jugs,  one  that  held  half  a  gal 
lon,  and  the  other,  a  large  stone  jog,  holding  more 
than  three  gallons.  When  it  was  dark  I  filled  my 
large  jug  with  water  ;  purchased  twenty  pounds  of 
pilot  bread  at  a  bakery,  which  I  tied  in  a  large  hand 
kerchief  ;  and  taking  my  jugs  in  my  hand,  went  on 
board  the  ship  to  receive  my  molasses  of  the  captain, 
for  the  labor  of  the  day.  The  captain  was  not  on 
board,  and  a  boy  gave  me  the  molasses  ;  but,  under 
pretence  of  waiting  to  see  the  captain,  I  sat  down  be 
tween  two  rows  of  cotton  bales  that  were  stowed  on 
deck.  The  night  was  very  dark,  and,  watching  a 
favorable  opportunity,  when  the  man  on  deck  had 
gone  forward,  I  succeeded  in  placing  both  my  jugs 
upon  the  bags  of  cotton  that  rose  in  the  hold,  almost  to 
the  deck.  In  another  moment  I  glided  down  amongst 
the  cargo,  and  lost  no  time  in  placing  my  jugs  in  the 
place  provided  for  them,  amongst  the  bales  of  cotton, 
beside  the  lair  provided  for  myself. 

Soon  after  I  had  taken  my  station  for  the  voyage, 
the  captain  came  on  board,  and  the  boy  reported  to 
him  that  he  had  paid  me  off,  and  dismissed  me.  In  a 
short  time,  all  was  quiet  on  board  the  ship,  except  the 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.          423 

occasional  tread  of  the  man  on  watch.  I  slept  none 
at  all  this  night ;  the  anxiety  that  oppressed  me  pre 
venting  me  from  taking  any  repose. 

Before  day  the  captain  was  on  deck,  and  gave  orders 
to  the  seamen  to  clear  the  ship  for  sailing,  and  to  be 
ready  to  descend  the  river  with  the  ebb  tide,  which 
was  expected  to  flow  at  sunrise.  I  felt  the  motion  of 
the  ship  when  she  got  under  weigh,  and  thought  the 
time  long  before  I  heard  the  breakers  of  the  ocean 
surging  against  her  sides. 

In  the  place  where  I  lay,  when  the  hatches  were 
closed,  total  darkness  prevailed  ;  and  I  had  no  idea 
of  the  lapse  of  time,  or  of  the  progress  we  made,  until, 
having  at  one  period  crept  out  into  the  open  space, 
between  the  rows  of  cotton  bags,  which  I  have  before 
described,  I  heard  a  man,  who  appeared  from  the 
sound  of  his  voice  to  be  standing  on  the  hatch,  call 
out  and  say,  "  That  is  Cape  Hatteras."  I  had  already 
come  out  of  my  covert  several  times  into  the  open 
space  ;  but  the  hatches  were  closed  so  tightly,  as  to 
exclude  all  light.  It  appeared  to  me  that  we  had  al 
ready  been  at  sea  a  long  time  ;  but  as  darkness  was 
unbroken  with  me,  I  could  not  make  any  computation 
of  periods. 

Soon  after  this,  the  hatch  was  opened,  and  the  light 
was  let  into  the  hold.  A  man  descended  for  the  pur 
pose  of  examining-  the  state  of  the  cargo ;  who  returned 


424  Fifty   Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

in  a  short  time.  The  hatch  was  again  closed,  and 
nothing  of  moment  occurred  from  this  time,  until  I 
heard  and  felt  the  ship  strike  against  some  solid  body. 
In  a  short  time  I  heard  much  noise,  and  a  multitude 
of  sounds  of  various  kinds.  All  this  satisfied  me  that 
the  ship  was  in  some  port ;  for  I  no  longer  heard  the 
sound  of  the  waves,  nor  perceived  the  least  motion  in 
the  ship. 

At  length  the  hatch  was  again  opened,  and  the 
light  was  let  in  upon  me.  My  anxiety  now  was,  to 
escape  from  the  ship,  without  being  discovered  by  any 
one  ;  to  accomplish  which  I  determined  to  issue  from 
the  hold  as  soon  as  night  came  on,  if  possible.  Wait 
ing  until  sometime  after  daylight  had  disappeared,  I 
ventured  to  creep  to  the  hatchway,  and  raise  my  head 
above  deck.  Seeing  no  one  on  board,  I  crawled  out 
of  the  hold,  and  stepped  on  board  a  ship  that  lay  along 
side  of  that  in  which  I  had  come  a  passenger.  Here  a 
man  seized  me,  and  called  me  a  thief,  saying  I  had 
come  to  rob  his  ship  ;  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty 
that  I  prevailed  upon  him  to  let  me  go.  He  at  length 
permitted  me  to  go  on  the  wharf ;  and  I  once  more 
felt  myself  a  freeman. 

I  did  not  know  what  city  I  was  in ;  but  as  the 
sailors  had  all  told  me,  at  Savannah,  that  their  ship 
was  bound  to  Philadelphia,  I  had  no  doubt  of  being 
in  that  city.  In  going  alon«  the  street,  a  black  man 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave  425 


met  me,  and  I  asked  him  if  I  was  in  Philadelphia.— 
This  question  caused  the  stranger  to  laugh  loudly  ; 
and  he  passed  on  without  giving  me  any  answer.  Soon 
afterwards  I  met  an  old  gentleman,  with  drab  cloth'es 
on,  as  I  could  see  by  the  light  of  the  lamps.  To  him 
I  propounded  the  same  question,  that  had  been  ad 
dressed  a  few  moments  before  to  the  black  man.  This 
time,  however,  I  received  a  civil  answer,  being  told 
that  I  was  in  Philadelphia. 

This  gentleman  seemed  concerned  for  me,  either 
because  of  my  wretched  and  ragged  appearance,  or 
because  I  was  a  stranger,  and  did  not  know  where  I 
was.  Whether  for  one  cause  or  the  other,  I  knew  not ; 
but  he  told  me  to  follow  him,  and  led  me  to  the  house 
of  a  black  man,  not  far  off,  whom  he  directed  to  take 
care  of  me  until  the  morning.  In  this  house  I  was 
kindly  entertained  all  night,  and  when  the  morning 
came,  the  old  gentleman  in  drab  clothes  returned,  and 
brought  with  him  an  entire  suit  of  clothes,  not  moro 
than  half  worn,  of  which  he  made  me  a  present,  and 
gave  me  money  to  buy  a  hat  and  some  muslin  for  a 
couple  of  shirts.  He  then  turned  to  go  away,  and  said, 
"  I  perceive  that  thee  is  a  slave,  and  has  run  away 
from  thy  master.  Thee  can  now  go  to  work  for  thy 
living  ;  but  take  care  that  they  do  not  catch  thee 
again."  I  then  told  him,  that  I  had  been  a  slave, 
and  had  twice  run  away  and  escaped  from  the  State 


426  Fifty  Tears  in  Chains  ;  or, 

of  Georgia.  The  gentleman  seemed  a  little  incredulous 
of  that  which  I  told  him  ;  but  when  I  explained  to 
him  the  cause  of  the  condition  in  which  he  found  me, 
he  seemed  to  become  more  than  ever  interested  in  mj 
fate.  This  gentleman,  whose  name  I  shall  not  publish, 
has  always  been  a  kind  friend  to  me. 

After  remaining  in  Philadelphia  a  few  weeks,  I  re 
solved  to  return  to  my  little  farm  in  Maryland,  for  the 
purpose  of  selling  my  property  for  as  much  as  it  would 
produce,  and  of  bringing  my  wife  and  children  to 
Pennsylvania. 

On  arriving  in  Baltimore,  I  went  to  a  tavern  keep 
er,  whom  I  had  formerly  supplied  with  vegetables 
from  my  garden.  This  man  appeared  greatly  surpris 
ed  to  see  me  ;  and  asked  me  how  I  had  managed  to 
escape  from  my  master  in  Georgia.  I  told  him,  that 
the  man  who  had  taken  me  to  Georgia  was  not  my 
master  ;  but  had  kidnapped  me,  and  carried  me  away 
by  violence.  The  tavern  keeper  then  told  me,  that 
I  had  better  leave  Baltimore  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
showed  me  a  hand-bill  that  was  stuck  up  against  the 
wall  of  his  bar-room,  in  which  a  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  reward  was  offered  for  my  apprehension.  I 
immediately  left  this  house,  and  fled  from  Baltimore 
that  very  night. 

When  I  reached  my  former  residence,  I  found  a 
white  man  living  in  it,  whom  I  did  not  know.  This 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  427 

man,  on  being  questioned  by  me,  as  to  the  time  he 
had  owned  this  place,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
obtained  possession,  informed  me,  that  a  black  man 
had  formerly  lived  here  ;  but  he  was  a  runaway  slave, 
and  his  master  had  come,  the  summer  before,  and 
carried  him  off.  That  the  wife  of  the  former  owner  of 
the  house  was  also  a  slave  ;  and  that  her  master  had 
come  about  six  weeks  before  the  present  time,  and 
taken  her  and  her  children,  and  sold  them  in  Baltimore 
to  a  slave-dealer  from  the  South. 

This  man  also  informed  me,  that  he  was  not  in 
this  neighborhood  at  the  time  the  woman  and  her 
children  were  carried  away  ;  but  that  he  had  received 
his  information  from  a  black  woman,  who  lived  half  a 
mile  off. 

This  black  woman  I  was  well  acquainted  with  ;  she 
had  been  my  neighbor,  and  I  knew  her  to  be  my  friend. 
She  had  been  set  free,  some  years  before  by  a  gentle 
man  of  this  neighborhood,  and  resided  under  his  pro 
tection,  on  a  part  of  his  land,  I  immediately  went  to 
the  house  of  this  woman,  who  could  scarcely  believe 
the  evidence  of  her  own  eyes,  when  she  saw  me  enter 
her  door.  The  first  word's  she  spoke  to  me  were,  "  Lucy 
and  her  children  have  all  been  stolen  away."  At  my 
request,  she  gave  me  the  following  account  of  the  mari 
ner  in  which  my  wife  and  children,  all  of  whom  had 
been  free  from  their  birth,  were  seized  and  driven  into 
southern  slavery. 


428  Fifty   Yeai  s  in  Cliains  ;  or, 

"A  few  weeks."  said  she,  "after  they  took  you 
away,  and  before  Lucy  had  so  far  recovered  from  the 
terror  produced  by  that  event,  as  to  remain  in  her 
house  all  night  with  her  children,  without  some  other 
company,  I  went  one  evening  to  stay  all  night  with 
her  ;  a  kindness  that  I  always  rendered  her,  if  no  other 
person  came  to  remain  with  her. 

"  It  was  late  when  we  went  to  bed,  perhaps  eleven 
o'clock  ;  and  after  we  had  been  asleep  some  time,  we 
were  awakened  by  a  loud  rap  at  the  door.  At  first 
we  said  nothing  ;  but  upon  the  rap  being  several  times 
repeated,  Lucy  asked  who  was  there.  She  was  then 
told,  in  a  voice  that  seemed  by  its  sound  to  be  that  of 
a  woman,  to  get  up  and  open  the  door  ;  adding,  that 
the  person  without  had  something  to  tell  her  that  she 
wished  to  hear.  Lucy,  supposing  the  voice  to  be  that 
of  a  black  woman,  the  slave  of  a  lady  living  near,  rose 
and  opened  the  door  ;  but,  to  our  astonishment,  in 
stead  of  a  woman  coming  in,  four  or  five  men  rushed 
nto  the  house  and  immediately  closed  the  door  ;  at 
vhich  one  of  the  men  stood,  with  his  back  against  it, 
an  til  the  others  made  a  light  in  the  fire-place,  and 
proceeded  deliberately  to  tie  Lucy  with  a  rope. — 
Search  was  then  made  in  the  bed  for  the  children ; 
and  I  was  found  and  dragged  out.  This  seemed  to 
produce  some  consternation  among  the  captors,  whose 
faces  were  all  b  ack,  but  whose  hair  and  visages  were 


The  Life  of  an  American  Slave.  429 

those  of  white  men.  A  consultation  was  held  among 
them,  the  object  of  which  was  to  determine  whether  I 
should  also  be  taken  along  with  Lucy  and  the  children, 
or  be  left  behind,  on  account  of  the  interest  which  my 
master  was  supposed  to  feel  for  me. 

"  It  was  finally  agreed,  that  as  it  would  be  very 
dangerous  to  carry  me  off,  lest  my  old  master  should 
cause  pursuit  to  be  made  after  them,  they  would  leave 
me  behind,  and  take  only  Lucy  and  the  children. 
One  of  the  number  then  said  it  would  not  do  to  leave 
me  behind,  and  at  liberty,  as  I  would  immediately  go 
and  give  intelligence  of  what  I  had  seen  ;  and  if  the 
afiair  should  be  discovered  by  the  members  of  the 
abolition  society,  before  they  had  time  to  get  out  of 
Maryland,  they  would  certainly  be  detected  and  pun 
ished  for  the  crimes  thev  were  committing. 

"  It  was  finally  resolved  to  tie  me  with  cords,  to  one 
of  the  logs  of  the  house,  gag  me  by  tying  a  rope  in  my 
mouth,  and  confining  it  closely  to  the  back  of  my  neck. 
They  immediately  confined  me,  and  then  took  the 
children  from  the  bed.  The  oldest  boy  they  tied  to 
his  mother,  and  compelled  them  to  go  out  of  the  house 
together.  The  three  youngest  children  were  then 
taken  out  of  bed,  and  carried  off  in  tte  hands  of  the 
men  who  had  tied  me  to  the  log.  I  never  saw  nor 
heard  any  more  of  Lucy  or  her  children. 

"  For  myself,  I  remained  in  the  house,  the  door  of 


•130  Fifty  Years  in  Chains  ;  or, 

which  was  carefully  closed  and  fastened  after  it  was 
shut,  until  the  second  night  after  my  confinement, 
without  anything  to  eat  or  drink.  On  the  second 
night  some  unknown  persons  came  and  cut  the  cords 
that  bound  me,  when  I  returned  to  my  own  cabin." 

This  intelligence  almost  deprived  me  of  life  ;  it  was 
the  most  dreadful  of  all  the  misfortunes  that  I  had 
ever  suffered.     It  was  now  clear  that  some  slave-dealer 
had  come  in  my  absence  and  seized  my  wife  and  chil 
dren  as  slaves,  and  sold  them  to  such  men  as  I  had 
served  in  the  South.     They  had  now  passed  into  hope 
less  bondage,  and  were  gone  forever  beyond  my  reach. 
I  myself  was  advertised  as  a  fugitive  slave,  and  was 
liable  to  be  arrested  at  each  moment,  and  dragged 
\>ack  to  Georgia.     I  rushed  out  of  my  own  house  in 
despair  and  returned  to  Pennsylvania  with  a  broken 
heart. 

For  the  last  few  years,  1  have  resided  aoout  fifty 
miles  from  Philadelphia,  where  I  expect  to  pass  the 
evening  of  my  life,  in  working  hard  for  my  subsistence, 
without  the  least  hope  of  ever  again  seeing  my  wifr 
and  children  : — fearful,  at  this  day,  to  let  my  place  of 
residence  be  known,  lest  even  yet  it  may  be  supposed, 
that  as  an  article  of  property,  I  am  of  sufficient  value 
to  be  worth  pursuing  in  my  old  ag.e. 


11900$ 


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